Why are llamas/alpacas so popular in anime? This has been something that has been bugging me for a while:

Why are there so many llamas in anime and in anime fan culture?

Some specific anime examples:





You can buy alpacas at conventions too:



Where is this coming from? Why do I keep seeing llamas?! I don't believe llamas/alpaca are even native to Japan? (Although I did find a farm in Nasu)
@ChenOrihara's link seems to be correct - it's not just an anime thing, there is an overall trend in Japan that sees alpacas being included in unlikely situations.

There's even a company that leases alpacas for weddings:



Their popularity may have been triggered when the alpaca farm in Nasu was built in 1999 - bringing 200 alpacas into the country. Subsequent farms have been built also. The Nasu farm currently has >400 alpacas