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This US Airport Has Employed Llamas & Alpacas To Reduce Passengers’ Travel Stress & Anxiety

Portland International Airport has employed llamas and alpacas as therapy animals.

by Sanjana Shenoy
This US Airport Has Employed Llamas & Alpacas To Reduce Passengers’ Travel Stress & Anxiety

A few weeks ago, we came bearing the great news that Mumbai International Airport’s T2 was now home to 9 cute doggos to reduce passengers’ stresses of air travel. And now Portland International Airport (PDX) has launched an unusual therapy programme where llamas and alpacas dressed in the cutest attire and headgear will welcome passengers.

Alpacas & Llamas Welcome Passengers At Portland International Airport

With a telos to alleviate the stresses of air travel, Portland International Airport (PDX) collaborated with Mountain Peaks Therapy, a Washington-based farm. This collab will bring the gentle animals every few weeks to relieve passenger anxiety and comfort fliers. It’s an initiative to address travel-related stress frequently experienced at airports.

 

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A post shared by Rojo The Llama (@rojothellama)

Nestled in Ridgefield, Washington, Mountain Peaks Therapy has supplied six alpacas and five llamas to the airport. The farm charges $650 (₹54,746) per animal per hour for these unique therapy sessions. The alpacas and llamas are trained and certified for this therapeutic interaction.

Public and specific passengers can lean on these support animals for calm companionship. Mountain Peaks Therapy describes the work it does as effective in stressful environments. In places like airports, having support animals to reduce air travel stress can be a novel yet thoughtful approach.

Animal-assisted therapy is not new. Research from many institutions advocates that interacting with animals can lower stress levels and boost mood-enhancing hormones. The most common therapy animals are dogs. They are featured in London Stansted, Istanbul and now Mumbai airports. The use of llamas and alpacas is relatively rare yet welcomed with open arms by passengers at Portland International Airport.

Also Read: 25-YO Fashion Student Faces Legal Trouble After Removing Passport Pages To Cover Up Thailand Visit At Mumbai Airport

Missing Flights, Misplacing Documents Are Top Sources Of Travel Stress

Spending time with these animals is a positive diversion of passengers’ minds from travel stress and anxiety. What kind of stress and anxiety, you ask? Well, a 2019 Priority Pass survey revealed that missed flights, misplacement of essential documents, delays to the airport and lost baggage are some of the common stresses of UK travellers.
In the US, Mintel reported that 45 per cent of travellers surveyed found airport crowds to be the main cause of travel-related stress.PDX’s therapy animal programme helps to mitigate the challenges and the subsequent stress faced by passengers during air travel. To accommodate the gentle animals, the airport has remodelled parts of its infrastructure by adding more natural elements to create a soothing environment for the therapy animals and passengers.

Well, we are stoked to travel to Portland International Airport just to interact with the adorable animals.

Cover Image Courtesy: @rojothellama/ Instagram

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First Published: November 06, 2024 3:27 PM