Deep in the throes of Zoom fatigue? It might be time to add some excitement to your video calls and virtual work meetings.
You could just change up your virtual background… or you could organise for an alpaca to join your chat – a far more joyous option, in our opinion.
Don’t stress, you don’t need to hunt down your own alpaca to tackle the boredom of endless Zoom calls.
Bob Crosbie of Bobcat Alpacas, in Edinburgh, is offering businesses the chance to book in 20-minute virtual ‘meet and greet’ sessions with his herd of alpacas, in return for a suggested donation of £100 to end-of-life charity Marie Curie.
Here’s how it works. If you want an alpaca to Zoombomb an important work call, you can email fiona.bushby@mariecurie.org.uk to book it in, as long as you also commit to a donation to the charity.
Then in an arranged Zoom call, you’ll get a virtual visit from some adorable alpacas.
You could tell your coworkers to expect this or keep it a surprise. We’d recommend the latter option.
Bob said: ‘We’ve supported Marie Curie for many years, ever since we set up Bobcat Alpacas in 2015, just ten minutes down the road from the Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh.
‘We often visit the Hospice with the alpacas, who prove popular as you can imagine! I’ve met many of their incredible staff and hundreds of patients and families, all so grateful for the care and support Marie Curie provide, so when we heard they were facing a funding crisis, we wanted to find a way to help.
‘I’ll be giving tours of the farm, including a visit to our mischievous young alpacas who will no doubt provide some entertainment – they knocked me over on the trial run!
‘I’ll answer as many questions as I can, the two most common questions we get asked is “what’s the difference between an alpaca and a llama?” and “what do you call a baby alpaca?”.’
Fiona Bushby, Marie Curie Community Fundraiser, said: ‘We can’t thank Bob enough for the support he has given us over the years, and now in our time of need, he is stepping up again.
‘I hope lots of businesses get behind this fun idea – what a great way to liven up your next team meeting!’
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