Llama chase captivates the Internet
Around lunchtime Wednesday, two llamas in Arizona decided they’d had enough of living in captivity and made a break for it. And for awhile, at least, they were free. People from all over the country watched via live-stream as they galloped through yards and disrupted traffic, eluding the cops like the Bonnie and Clyde of livestock, before eventually being rounded up.
Not since O.J. Simpson’s white Ford Bronco led a fleet of patrol cars around Los Angeles freeways has there been such a captivating police chase. The llamas' dreams of freedom may have been dashed, but the joy — largely in the form of llama puns — that their escape brought to their computer-tethered human supporters won't soon be forgotten.
The Washington Post put five of its reporters on the story. Entire newsroom staffs stopped what they were doing to watch the breaking news out of Phoenix.
DENVER POST LLAMA WATCH 2015 #LlamasOnTheLoose pic.twitter.com/8fPX6zfExG
— Laura Keeney (@LauraKeeney) February 26, 2015
.@ProPublica watches breaking news: Llama edition RT @anniezyu The office watching the live llama chase in #Phoenix pic.twitter.com/t3BmvfhV9a
— ProPublica (@ProPublica) February 26, 2015
But they couldn't just stand around for long. There were puns to be made, jokes to be tweeted!
Which Runaway Llama Are You?http://t.co/7Bhj67s9xN
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) February 26, 2015
What the Llama Chase Gets Wrong About Wage Inequality
— Sam Adams (@SamuelAAdams) February 26, 2015
FOX NEWS: Does American have a llama problem?MSNBC: Why does Rudy Giuliani hate llamas?CNN: How many l’s in llama?
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) February 26, 2015
miseducation of llama hill RT @heyerinevans: diary of a mad black llama RT @brokeymcpoverty: emancipation of a real llama
— Tracy Clayton (@brokeymcpoverty) February 26, 2015
POLL: 54% of Republicans believe that President Obama is a llama
— Max Fisher (@Max_Fisher) February 26, 2015
Still not captured: Lorenzo Lamas.
— Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) February 26, 2015
Once the llamania had subsided, the Associated Press filled in the details on the dramatic chase. Our four-legged heroes were reportedly part of a group of three llamas that visited an assisted living facility. After an hour of hanging out with the senior citizens at GenCare in Sun City, the two would-be fugitives saw an opening and ran for it. (The third llama is rumored to be a goodie two-shoes.)
The great llama chase that proceded to take place attracted the attention of some high-profile Arizonans, such as Senator John McCain and the Arizona Cardinals.
Glad that #LlamaDrama 2015 has been peacefully resolved! http://t.co/aX8PgwZ2jO #Arizona
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) February 26, 2015
The #AZCardinals have agreed to one-year deals with the #llamasontheloose. Each llama will earn 2,340 lbs of hay. Steve Keim does it again.
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) February 26, 2015
Even the North American Aerospace Defense Command couldn't resist getting in on the fun.
@julianbarnes Llama had no known connections to ISIS. Appears to have self-radicalized.
— NORAD & USNORTHCOM (@NoradNorthcom) February 26, 2015