Visitors to the Taipei Zoo will now have a chance to get up-close and personal with a popular zoo resident every week.

Zoo officials say every Tuesday from 10:45 to 11 in the morning, Billy the Alpaca will take a walk along the pathways in the children’s area.

A keeper will be on-hand during these morning strolls to help visiters interact with and learn more about the woolly South American mammal, which originates from the Andes mountain range.

The animals have dense coats that require trimming in April and July, to keep them cool in the hot summer months in Taiwan.

Caretakers say Billy is the patriarch of the zoo’s alpaca family, which also includes adult female Annie, and young female Nicole.

images source