Who said llamas can't be TV stars? 🦙
Boateng de Oro earned the record title for the highest jump by a llama, as well as a large fan base, when he appeared on our Italian TV show Lo Show Dei Record.
The talented animal jumped an obstacle at the height of an incredible 1.30 m (4 ft 3 in) without even touching the bar!
We wanted to know everything about Boateng, so we contacted his owner Walter...
We were happy to know that Boateng lives a happy, busy life on Walter's family farm in Soprabolzano, northern Italy, where they breed Arabian thoroughbreds, llamas and alpacas.
Walter told us that Boateng was born on his farm and he has a close bond with him: “Always respecting the fact that llamas are distance animals, though!"
“He is a fine, majestic stallion with, strong legs, great colours, an impressive fleece, and – very important – a good character.”
He assured us that Boateng is very proud, brave and curious, as well as really talented when it comes to hiking, climbing and jumping. 🧡
“He can be a bit of a clown. He’s very clever, sometimes too clever for his own good. Life with him doesn’t get boring.” – Walter Mair
Due to his agility, Boateng was trained to be one of the ‘de Oro’ mountain trekkers, a team of llamas that accompany groups of people on adventurous treks through the Italian Alps!
When he is not trekking, Boateng de Oro spends his days:
- grazing on the vast pastures
- living outdoors and roaming freely day and night
- extending his family by making about 10-15 babies a year 😲
What a sweet life!
So how did Walter discover that his beloved llama could break a world record?
One day, completely out of the blue, Boateng just surprised him by jumping out of a horse stall that is 1.41 m (4 ft 6 in) tall, making it look easy and effortless!
After that, he kept on jumping over different fences, never trying to escape the farm, but only for the fun of it.
Walter would also invite him to attempt higher jumps, as they both had a great time doing it; they had found a common hobby! 🤗
Long story short, soon they were invited on the Italian TV show, and decided to give it a try.
Walter informed us that they “didn’t really train a lot. We didn’t want to overstrain his joints, or make him lose his motivation."
Then the day of the attempt arrived, and they were both very excited!
At first, Boateng attempted a 1.20 m (3 ft 9 in) jump which he did successfully, breaking the world record. 🎉
But then, when he tried the more challenging 1.30 (4 ft 3 in) leap, which he had also done successfully when he was training, he lost his focus and pushed the bar down.
When he tried a second time, the same thing happened...
According to Walter, “he was a bit tense, a film studio is a far cry from his natural habitat. Luckily, he had already made some fans and in the end, it was decided that he should get to try the jump again in a calmer environment.”
And so no more than 5 days later, a Guinness World Records animal behaviourist and official Adjudicator visited Boateng and Walter at their farm.
Finally feeling at home and with the support of his family, Boateng was able to do the incredible 1.30 m (4 ft 3 in) jump without touching the bar!
Walter jokingly said: “We also tried for 1.40 m (4 ft 6 in) but that’s a height where Boateng de Oro decided to show us that he isn’t just sporty but also bright… why jump over it if one can easily pass under the bar? Limbo!”
Lastly, when we asked Walter if he and Boateng would like to break any more records in the future, he said...
“We are proud of what he has achieved and will leave it at that. He enjoys the jumping and looks all smug after a clean jump, but other than that he just wants to continue his sweet life here in our farm.”
Welcome to the Guinness World Records family, Boateng de Oro!
“We are not pushing Boateng, even though we know he could beat his own record.” – Walter Mair
