Surfing alpaca stirs controversy in Peru

Mar 19, 2010, 19:36 GMT

   Lima - A surfing alpaca stirred controversy Friday in Peru, as animal rights activists accused its coach of mistreating it by making it ride waves.

Coach Domingo Pianezzi, a former rowing champion and a professional surfer himself, taught a cat, a dog, a parrot and a hamster to surf before he tackled the task with the alpaca, an Andean animal resembling a small llama.

This one went by the name of Pisco.

Pianezzi taught Pisco to surf in two months, in what he termed as a 'personal challenge.'

Animal rights activists accused him of cruelty, for taking the animals out of their natural habitats and risking their lives. In social networks like Twitter and Facebook, some accused Pianezzi of being an attention-seeker.

'Exposing an animal to doing something that has no use for it is totally unnecessary. The fact that it is done in other countries does not justify it,' zoologist Tatiana Quevedo told the daily El Comercio.

In 2002, Pianezzi travelled to Australia and was amazed to see a monkey, a koala bear, a kangaroo and a piglet ride waves.

   Pisco, however, was seen to jump off its surf board several times in apparent fear, although the coach said it 'jumps out of instinct.'

'But it would drown if I had not taught it to swim,' Pianezzi said.

'I put earplugs in Pisco's ears and I tie to her back a float that will hold up to 70 kilogrammes. Afterwards I dry her, I rinse her with fresh water, I wait for her to dry and then brush her again,' the coach explained.