Zak The Yak says: "Happy Holidays!"

Faithful readers of our blog may recall one of our yaks, named Zak, heading north to Vermont's Hero Islands a few years back to live on a farm up there. We just got a nice holiday card from Zak and owner Joan:



Joan writes: Thought you might like to see a current picture of “Zak the Yak”. Our vet estimates his weight to be about 750 lbs. – not bad for the little guy we picked up a couple of years ago! He still has his wonderful sense of humor, which includes bugging the crap out of Mac the llama and being regularly spit at by Mac. Zak is now above all the goats in the pecking order, which he seems to enjoy, and he is also their guardian. Whether he is protecting the goats or his territory I’m not sure but it works out well for the goats either way. His favorite treat is goat grain, which he gladly comes running for, with his white poof of a tail tossed up over his back, grunting occasionally along the way. He likes to be petted and hanging out with us, and I am able to put a halter on him while he is out in the pasture, which always amazes me. We trim his hooves in the spring and fall, and he tolerates that quite well. I haven’t gotten any usable fiber from him yet but he has more than enough “wool” to keep himself cozy even in the coldest of weather, but he always seems to take refuge in the barn! Hope all is well with everyone and all your critters. Happy Holidays!