ALPACAS Oliver and Midnight Prince have been entertaining residents at a Poole care home.

Oliver, aged four, and 15-month-old Midnight Prince visited Colten Care dedicated dementia home The Aldbury.

They were brought to the home by Shaftsbury-based Alpaca Adventure.

Keeper Wendy Williams, who owns 36 Alpacas, showed residents how best to stroke and pet the animals.

Oliver and Prince also made a series of house calls to some of the residents’ rooms, charming visitors and staff as they wandered along the hallways and even caught the lift.

Activities organiser Juriaan Steenekamp said: "It was wonderful to see the residents responding to the Alpacas.

"They are very gentle animals and happy to be petted.

"Their fur is also ultra-soft and really wonderful to touch and residents and staff alike were completely captivated by them."

The Alpacas were also a hit with a group of visiting students from Canford School.

The sixth formers visit The Aldbury each Monday, helping out the activities team as part of an ongoing community involvement project.

Alpacas originate from the Altiplano in west-central South America, spanning the borders of Peru, Chile and Bolivia.

They are one of the camelid species, closely related to the llama.