A sleepy county in the US state of Georgia had a bit of llama drama on its hands after police were called to re-capture a runaway animal.
Oconee County police were called about the unusual escapee on Wednesday afternoon (local time). Its bid for freedom ended in the parking lot of Cook Out, a local burger place.
The Sherrif's Office says initial calls reported the animal as being a "baby camel", but officers quickly identified the animal as a llama, another member of the camelid family.
Officers couldn't believe it, saying on their Facebook page: "We can't make this stuff up."
With the help of several llama experts, the deputies managed to corral the animal into the dumpster area of the Cool Out carpark with the help of a bag of carrots.
Photos show the fugitive locked inside the back of a van, with a second image of it detained at the police station with "Captain Hale, llama whisperer".
Chief Deputy Lee Weems said the llama escaped from a nearby residence and wandered a few kilometres along the road.
The owner is out of town, but their son had been contacted to collect the animal.
But before the llama left the police's custody, officers tried to interrogate it, but "it refused to answer questions".
Its escape is still a mystery.
"We do not know at this time whether it just wanted to go for a stroll, or if it was concerned about the weather forecast this weekend and was attempting to buy bread and milk."
In 2015, two llamas made a break for it in Phoenix, Arizona, leading police on a low-speed chase.
Newshub.
