Alpaca has stomach made for Chongqing

A little alpaca that loves eating chili powder in Chongqing became a pet influencer recently.

The 10-month-old alpaca — named Meatball — was raised in a barbecue shop in Chongqing's Jiangbei district.

"Two weeks ago, Meatball was caught eating the chili powder we use in our barbecues," the owner, Yu Shali said, adding that the animal became interested in eating onions and garlic as well.

"The alpaca is just eating its hometown food. Both chilis and alpacas were first found in South America," one netizen, @Chiron, commented on Chinese short-video platform Douyin.

Some netizens commented along the lines that it just does what a Chongqing resident does. It has a typical Chongqing stomach.Chongqing cuisine is widely known for its spicy dishes.

Meatball has attracted a lot of public attention, driving customers to Yu's shop.

"I chose the alpaca because my son loves the animal," Yu said. "I never expected that it would become so popular among our customers or that the video would go viral."

"Although Meatball likes those spicy foods, it also eats carrots, lotus roots and sunflower seeds as its main food," he added.