Q&A: Meet the Llamas on patrol guarding solar panels in Lambton County

Two llamas are on patrol in Lambton County. Their names are Leland and Callum, and they're helping out with security and upkeep at Enbridge's solar farm near Sarnia.

Ian Robertson, plant manager for Enbridge's solar sites in Sarnia, Tilbury, and Amherstburg, joined CBC's Afternoon Drive to speak with host Matt Allen.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Matt Allen: Why llamas?

Ian Robertson: Well, we tried dogs last year. And dogs are great now, but we went with the llamas this year for their natural instinct. First, they're good at herding. They adapt well to herds and are great with flocks of sheep. So they work really well and they fit right in. They eat the same food as well, which makes it a lot easier to ensure that they're fed daily.

MA: Could you tell us about the two llamas working at the solar farm, Leland and Callum?

IR: Yeah, Leland and Callum, they do a fabulous job. They're very protective. If you do come to the site, they will run over, look at you, and give you the eyeball. They're instinctively in that sense interested, non-aggressive in the sense with humans, but certainly protecting their flock, right?

LISTEN: Llamas are on patrol guarding solar panels in Lambton County

MA: Just how aggressive can they get when it comes to protecting those sheep?

IR: Well, I've never actually witnessed it, nor have the farmers that I work with, but historically speaking, they are very aggressive when it comes to [protection]. They'll lower their neck. They usually let out a scream to let the flock know that perhaps a coyote or a predator is near. Usually non-lethal, as everybody probably hears. They're known for spitting. Spitting and kicking, or one of their aggressive attitudes, as well.

MA: It's interesting you mentioned this is typically something that you think of a dog doing, right? Where did the idea come from to go in this direction to use llamas for the job?

IR: Yeah, unfortunately, our farmers lost their one real guard dog. And dogs take a long time to train to get this position. So there is another farmer in Ontario who was using llamas as guards. So they went and approached them and said, 'Yeah, try these ones.' So we've been using them since they fit right in there.

They come and they sound an alarm and let everybody know that there are people in the area when you're actively there.

MA: What kind of care and maintenance do they require?

IR: Very little. That's another huge asset over a dog. They literally eat the same food and drink from the same water source as the sheep would.

MA: Now I understand that there are more than 200 sheep that help to maintain that solar farm. How much grass is being consumed on a daily basis to help keep things low for the solar panels?

IR: Well, I wouldn't be able to break it down into that, but they look after about 100 acres broken into 15 segments. And then as that grows, they come back and then naturally go through the whole site and 15 segments or paddocks and work those paddocks for two to three days at a time.

MA: It's a fun story, of course, but it does highlight just how much maintenance goes into maintaining the solar farm there. How important has it been to be able to operate and maintain the solar farms sustainably?

IR: Well, they do a fabulous job, obviously, with the sheep. They keep the grass down and prevent shading of the panels. They do great at that, they're great with sheep, we don't have any breakage from that a lawn mower would cause. So, from a maintenance side, they do a great job.

MA: How high can that grass grow if it's not maintained?

IR: The grass itself probably gets to about 29 inches, but the weeds are generally the ones that you would probably get into 3 to 4 feet, and then with phragmites, a few metres.

MA: Are there any plans in the future to use the flock at some of the other sites?

IR: Well, next year we're planning on introducing them to another 100 acres in Sarnia. So we'll see how that goes. Then we do have our Amherstburg site and our Tilbury site. There are discussions with the Tilbury site to look into those areas.