ABSTRACT
The donation of new llamas by Santa Claus consists of two phases, REQUEST and DONOR. The REQUEST phase, which occurs when a herd drops below the minimum reproductive configuration, can be modeled by the following function: REQUEST. There is, of course, one major problem with the "Santa Claus" model: it is unrealistic. In the real world there is no Santa Claus. On the average, "Santa Claus" herds reach their mean size of 22 animals within 12 years and remain close to that point. The average "Oliver Twist" herd, on the other hand, gradually declines toward zero. The chapter presents the occasional gifts of young animals can make a significant improvement in herd dynamics, but in the real world those gifts would have to come from other herders. In every herding community known in the Ayacucho region, in the context of the important llama-decorating ceremonies of August, there are gifts known as sunay.
