Llama On The Loose! Elusive Animal Corralled To Safety In RivCo

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA - A llama that escaped its pen Friday and ended up wandering the streets of Jurupa Valley was safely corralled by animal control officers, who were on the receiving end of a spit volley spewed by the unhappy creature.

Riverside County Department of Animal Services spokesman John Welsh said the llama, which is a distant relative of the camel and originates from South America, was spotted by passersby about 9 a.m. in the area Feldspar Street and Mission Boulevard.

Officers Tiffany Fuller, James Huffman and Christopher Peck were sent to the location to investigate and managed to coax the llama onto private property, where Fuller and Peck cornered the animal until Huffman could bring a horse trailer to transport it.

During the rescue, the llama turned hostile, hurling spit at all three officers -- behavior for which llamas are notorious, Welsh said.

"Officer Fuller didn't get struck," Huffman said of his and Peck's bad luck. "She was smart enough to stay back."

The llama was off-loaded into a livestock pen at the Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley.

Welsh said the animal will remain there until its owner appears to make a claim.

— By City News Service / Images courtesy: Riverside County Department of Animal Services