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Welsh School Uses Comfort Alpacas to Help With Students' Mental Health

A school in Penarth, Wales, has welcomed four Peruvian alpacas to help with students’ mental health and wellbeing.

The “famously calm and gentle” alpacas joined a companion dog Dexter, a King Charles spaniel, and a number of hens at Headlands School in Penarth.

The school, run by the charity Action for Children, caters mainly for residential – and some day pupils – who have behavioral and learning difficulties.

“We are redeveloping a huge area of our outdoor space for the alpacas and hens and have a group of students working with us on the project that have really flourished,” David Gillingham, a teacher overseeing the care of the alpacas, said.

“Where they have been previously unengaged in academic work, they have relished the physical work and the autonomy we give them in building and maintaining the space. Their mental health has definitely improved, they love the animals and some are keen to work as landscape gardeners when they leave school.” Credit: Action for Children via Storyful