Internet sensation Oliver the alpaca visits St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - TikTok sensation Oliver the alpaca, whose love of drive-thru treats has earned him millions of views, visited St. Louis on Tuesday as part of his Midwest tour.

A video of the just over three-month-old alpaca going through Starbucks for a “pup cup” of whipped cream has to date garnered about 6.5 million views on the social media site. In the video, owner Kerri Harting appears with Oliver in her lap, as the baristas clamor over his cuteness and affinity for treats.

“Oliver is a bottle baby, he lost his momma, so we like to take him on small trips,” Harting said. “It was actually Berkli (Harting’s daughter) who came up with the idea to take him to Starbucks. She filmed it and he became a TikTok sensation.”

Since the video went viral, the trio have been travelling around the Midwest making special appearances. On Thursday, they took Oliver to Clayton High School and today plan to take him to the elementary school.

“We are just having a lot of fun,” Harting said. “He enjoys traveling, so we traveled to St. Louis from Wisconsin. We are going to take him to some schools here. We enjoy going to other drive-thrus. We love promoting alpacas and our farm.”

Harting and spouse Dawn Stewart are co-owners of Eagle Eye Farm, a sanctuary in River Falls, Wisconsin, which is home to 60 alpacas and many other animals, such as Blacknose Sheep, mini–Highland Cattle and Kune Kune pigs.

At the farm, they offer summer camp for youth, farm tours and even alpaca yoga. A line of products made from alpaca fleece such as socks, gloves, yarn and other items are also available.

“Alpacas are the most sustainable animal, they are very gentle on the Earth,” Harting said. “They give us fleece, so one a year we sheer them and turn it into products, which are great.”

Harting said the family plans to keep uploading videos of Oliver’s lovable exploits in the days and months ahead.

“Everybody loves him,” Harting said. “Alpacas in general have a really calming effect on people.”

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