BLUE MOUNTAIN – Somewhere on Blue Mountain, perhaps near Loree forest, three llamas are loose, hopefully enjoying green grass and sunshine even while their owner and community members search for them.
The llamas got loose from their enclosure by accident on Friday morning (Nov. 10). They board at a farm on the 21st Sideroad at Victoria Corners near Blue Mountain Veterinary Clinic.
Their owner, Samantha McKay, received a call at work to let her know they escaped and efforts to round them up and put them back in the pasture were unsuccessful. She's been searching for them ever since.
The three llamas, named Lluka, Llewis, and Todd, are McKay's pets. She spends mornings and evenings with them, and dreams of opening a llama walking business this year.
"Lluka is the love of my life," said McKay. She met the llama in 2020 at a llama walk (kind of like walking a dog, but it's a llama) and loved him from there. She purchased him in January, 2022, and added Llewis and Todd to the herd on Oct. 5, 2023. She also has two alpacas at a different farm.
When McKay found out Lluka, Llewis and Todd were missing, she put a call out on Facebook to let the community know, hoping someone would have seen the roaming llamas.
"The community is amazing," said McKay, noting there have been dozens who have reached out and even some who have searched alongside her for the last three days. "People have seen the posts and they are out there looking and I didn't even ask, they're all just doing this out of the goodness of their hearts."
Based on her search and some early reports, McKay thinks the llamas are in the Loree forest ridge area, perhaps off the 7th Line.
Llamas like to eat grass. They are herd animals and often purchased to be guardians for livestock.
McKay says if the three llamas stayed together, she thinks they will be OK, but she remains concerned about coyotes.
The search continues, and anyone who spots a llama or three is asked to call McKay at 519-495-4895. The llamas can be skittish and shy, so if you approach them, do so slowly and without making eye contact.
