It was a llama love story with all the elements: lifelong friendship, a debilitating illness, cruel separation ... and a happy ending.
Jody and Blanco were reunited in a new home this week after a traumatic two months apart.
The 13-year-old llama geldings, born in captivity in Golden Bay and together all
their lives, had spent the past 10 years at Nelson's Natureland wildlife centre.
But Blanco had alway suffered from foot problems and two months ago was taken to the Manawatu for treatment by Massey University veterinary student Mana Stratton.
Like any long-term couple, they coped with separation in different ways. Blanco sulked in his stable and occasionally displayed bad temper, spitting at the ponies he had for company on the Stratton farm outside Palmerston North.
Jody ignored his Natureland companions, stood alone in a paddock, put his head down and grazed.
"He's deteriorated. He was quite depressed, he wouldn't do anything and he's just put on way too much weight," Ms Stratton said.
Natureland management agreed it would be best for both llamas to let Jody join his mate on Ms Stratton's parents' farm, so this week Ms Stratton went back for Jody. "When you see the two of them back together you realise Blanco was also missing his mate."
After Jody had travelled all night and faced a rough sea voyage, Ms Stratton expected him to be exhausted when he got off the float.
"As soon as Jody came into view, Blanco was right at his stable door, ears forward, and he started to call out. They're not an animal that talks a lot. It's like a muted bleat. They were just nose to nose and talking to each other."
Ms Stratton, 29, has just completed her final year at vet school. Her course required a project on a large production animal and she decided to repair Blanco's feet.
"I'm originally from Nelson and basically grew up at the animal park so I've known about Blanco ...
"He had the foot problem when he arrived."
Strait Shipping agreed to carry him from Nelson to Wellington for free and Ms Stratton went down in September to pick him and drive him back.
She said that the recurring infection between Blanco's toes had nearly cleared up but it would probably need treatment the rest of his life.
