CAMARILLO : Pair of Roaming Llamas Impounded

A pair of hungry llamas may seem like an easy way to keep weeds at a minimum, but Camarillo Heights resident Robert Tobias discovered this week that the long-necked South American animals have ideas of their own.

Instead of the free weed abatement he hoped for, Tobias will receive a bill for about $300 from Ventura County Animal Regulation Department officials, who impounded the llamas after the pair tired of grazing and broke through a fence for an unguided tour of Camarillo.

“One llama went to a Methodist church on Tuesday,” said Kathy Jenks, department director. “The other went to Camarillo Heights Elementary School the next day.”

One of the animals was loose for a day and the other for two days, Jenks said.

The llamas had been loaned to Tobias for his weed-removal project, and it was not clear who owned them, Jenks said.

“In fact, we’ve been given two different names, and it’s not really clear who’s responsible,” Jenks said. The animals will probably remain at the shelter through Monday, she said. Meanwhile, the animals, dubbed “Tony Llama” and “Dalai Llama” by shelter workers, are attracting attention from passersby.

“You’d think we had a petting zoo out here,” Jenks said. “People drive by, do a double take, and come back with their families for a closer look.”

Like their relatives the camel, llamas can be unpleasant, but Jenks said her charges were quite friendly to humans. “They seem to hate each other,” Jenks said, “but one of them is quite enamored of a cow we’ve got out here.”