Cathy Free
The day Whitetop the llama arrived at a North Carolina camp for kids with medical conditions, he understood his assignment.
“There aren’t many animals that care for the kids like Whitetop does,” said Billie Jo Davis, barn director for Victory Junction camp in Randleman, North Carolina.
The bucktoothed llama was 8 years old when a ranching family donated him to the camp nearly two decades ago. Since then, he’s sat with hundreds of campers and soaked up their affection, calmly offering his shaggy fur for kids who need it most.
“I’d never seen a llama before, and I was surprised when he liked to be petted, kind of like a dog,” said camper Colton Dixon, 14, who started going to the camp after he was diagnosed with an abdominal condition. “He seems like he’s having fun with it. He’s a pretty cool llama,” he said.
Whitetop is now getting international acclaim, not for his loving demeanor, but for his longevity.
The 27-year-old llama was named last month as the world’s oldest llama by Guinness World Records, beating the previous record holder, Dalai Llama, by 250 days. Dalai Llama died in Albuquerque in August 2023. The average lifespan for a llama is about 20 years.
When Davis heard about Dalai Llama’s death, she and a few of her colleagues at Victory Junction thought maybe they could get Whitetop some recognition, and they submitted paperwork to Guinness. It turns out Whitetop was awarded two Guinness titles: the oldest llama in captivity and the oldest llama in captivity ever.
Whitetop enjoyed some extra alfalfa that day in celebration and happily posed for photos, Davis said.
“He loves doing selfies - he’ll usually turn his head like he’s trying to get the perfect pose,” she said. “He’s got the routine down.”
Although Whitetop has arthritis, he is otherwise healthy, she added, noting that he eats a mixture of dry llama feed and senior horse feed, topped with wet alfalfa.
The llama has always been sociable, Davis said.
“When people aren’t around, he likes to hang out with his best friends, a cow named Gus-Gus and two miniature donkeys, Jed and Jethro,” she said. “When it’s nice outside, they all like to hang out together in the pasture.”
The 84-acre camp is home to a menagerie of farm animals, including horses, goats, donkeys and rabbits.
Victory Junction was founded in 2004 by retired stock-car racer Richard Petty in memory of his son Adam Petty, who was killed in a car racing accident in May 2000 when he was 19.
The year-round camp for children with serious medical conditions offers access to rock climbing, swimming, boating, fishing, archery, bowling, arts and crafts and a giant barnyard.
As soon as families show up to see the farm animals, Whitetop will plop down in the middle of the horse arena and wait for them to come to him, Davis said.
“He loves to be petted and groomed, so we’ll give the kids brushes,” she said. “Whitetop supplies a lot of sensory input for our campers with the way he smells, looks and feels. He helps them to open up as they interact with him.”
Whitetop has never spit on anyone, she added, though llamas have been known to do so if they feel threatened.
“Whitetop doesn’t spit, even if he’s getting shots or vet care,” Davis said. “He’s always been very docile, and he loves to snuggle. When kids realize he’s an old llama, they’ll come over to take selfies and they’ll fall in love with him.”
Stephanie Wilkerson, an ambassador volunteer at the camp, said she met Whitetop when he first came to Victory Junction.
“I was a teenager then, and I’d recently been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes,” said Wilkerson, now 33. “I remember sitting down next to this soft white llama and just loving on him. He wasn’t intimidated or afraid and you felt you could say anything to him.”
He never spilled a secret, she said, and deserves all the recognition for his graceful aging and dedication to the campers.
“He’s done so much for this camp - there isn’t a person who doesn’t love and appreciate him,” she said. “He’s the world’s oldest llama, but he’s also the world’s sweetest.”