Perloined alpacas are returned to Whidbey
Published 11:00 am Wednesday, October 8, 2003
Alpaca come home.
Twenty-five alpacas taken from Whidbey Island Alpacas at Greenbank Farm last weekend, will be returned to their pasture and reunited with the rest of the herd sometime Thursday.
Alpaca owner Dick Whittick said, “It will be a happy homecoming.”
The alpacas were taken last Saturday by Harold Berkholtz, an alpaca farmer from Enderly, British Columbia, in an apparent financial dispute with Whittick.
Berkholtz asserted he had a right to take the animals in lieu of money Whittick owed him, and Whittick knew he was coming to take the animals. From the beginning Whittick disputed that claim.
In an effort to solve the alpaca rustling case Island County Sheriff’s detectives Mike Birchfield and Mike Beech visited Berkholtz in British Columbia on Oct. 2.
“Mr. Berkholtz cooperated,” Birchfield said. “But we let him know that he can’t just come down and take people’s property, it has to be handled through channels.”
Berkholtz sold the 25 animals to a Montana farmer who will be returning them on Thursday.
Following his investigation and interview with Berkholtz, Birchfield determined that the stolen alpacas were paid for.
“There was a bill of sale between Berkholtz and Whittick for those particular animals,” Birchfield said.
During a telephone interview on Tuesday, Whittick admitted that he owes Berkholtz some money for 22 male alpacas that were not taken.
To clear up his debt, Whittick hopes to pay Berkholtz by selling the 22 males to the Montana farmer.
“I am hoping we can make some sort of trade with the fellow from Montana,” Whittick said.
Whittick claimed that mothers and babies were separated and he is concerned that the mothers will not be able to nurse their crias when reunited on Thursday.
Whittick has been feeding an orphaned alpaca baby or cria whose mother was taken.
Whittick first estimated the value of of the animals taken to be at $141,000 but Berkholtz said in an e-mail it was closer to $20,000.
