“The Llama Had Enough”: Zoo Keeper’s “Lesson” Sparks Parental Outrage
Interview With Expert
I’m a huge animal lover, so I’m a big fan of just about every creature out there. Big or small, fluffy or scaly, friendly or not, I can appreciate all different types of animals. (Although, I only want to see some through the safety of a computer screen!) It is extremely important, however, that when we interact with animals we respect their boundaries and refrain from interfering with their ways of life.
A couple of teens had to learn this lesson the hard way after taking a trip to a petting zoo. Below, you’ll find the full, disgusting story that one of the zoo employees shared on Reddit, as well as conversations with Tina Gambell from Glamping with Llamas and Gwen Ingram from Lost Creek Llamas!
This petting zoo employee gave a couple of teen visitors a heads up about what might happen if they annoyed a llama
Image credits: Abi Skipp / Flickr (not the actual photo)
But after ignoring the worker’s warnings, the teens learned the hard way why you shouldn’t mess with a llama
Image credits: Yannamelissa / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
Image credits: oscholey1990
Image credits: solovei23 / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
Llamas are often gentle and friendly towards humans when they’ve been properly socialized
Llamas are fascinating creatures. They’re the largest lamoid, or South American Camelid, creatures and are often used to carry things for long distances. In fact, llamas can carry up to 130 pounds for 12 hours a day, but they don’t like to be ridden by humans. They’re native to South America and have been domesticated in the region of the Andes Mountains for thousands of years. Today, however, you can find llamas all over the globe in zoos, sanctuaries and even some people’s backyards!
To learn more about llama behavior, we reached out to Tina Gambell at Glamping with Llamas in the UK. Tina was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share that we typically don’t need to worry about spit when hanging out with llamas. “Llamas do not spit at people on the whole, if their environment and needs are met,” she explained. “Petting zoos meet neither of these essentials for having happy llamas!”
“At Glamping with Llamas, our philosophy of mutual enjoyment, ‘If it’s not fun for them, it shouldn’t be fun for us,’ shapes a unique glamping experience where human well-being and llama comfort coalesce,” Tina shared. “Our guests indulge in the tranquility of nature, complemented by the serene presence of our llamas, who enjoy a well-balanced routine of being ‘on duty’ and ‘off duty.’”
“For 23 hours a day, our llamas are ‘off duty,’ roaming freely, embodying the essence of a relaxed and stress-free lifestyle that we aim to share with our guests,” the llama expert continued. “This freedom is crucial not just for their well-being but also sets the tone for the tranquil retreat experience we offer.”
Image credits: Lightitup_now / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
“Like us humans, llamas have social needs and desires; they want to feel safe”
“For one hour daily, during their ‘on duty’ time, our llamas engage in meaningful interactions with guests, from educational talks about llama behavior and ancestry to close encounters facilitated by feeding sessions,” Tina noted. “This carefully structured time ensures that both llamas and guests benefit from the interaction without compromising the llamas’ comfort or natural behaviors.”
“This approach redefines luxury as a state of mutual happiness and respect, offering our guests a retreat where they can unwind and connect with nature and our llamas in a meaningful way,” she added.
We also were lucky enough to get in touch with Gwen Ingram from Lost Creek Llamas to learn even more about these fascinating animals.
First, we wanted to know what makes llamas so special. “Llamas have a lot of unique aspects that are only ‘weird’ or ‘special’ when they are compared with other species,” Gwen explained. “Like us humans, llamas have social needs and desires; they want to feel safe and have enough to eat. They feel emotions just like every other mammal, including sadness, joy, and fear. Outside of that, they are all individuals, and include extraverts, introverts, hard workers, lounge lizards, athletes, geniuses, and physically or mentally challenged.”
“What we love most about llamas is that we cannot possibly learn everything about llamas in our lifetime, and that is fascinating to us,” the expert added.
Image credits: Tambako The Jaguar / Flickr (not the actual photo)
“A petting zoo is pretty much their worst nightmare”
Unfortunately, however, Gwen says this particular story was not a one-time occurrence.
“This is a VERY common issue, young (especially male teen) humans wanting to see llamas spit and trying to annoy the animals until they do spit,” Gwen told Bored Panda. “We don’t agree with having llamas in free-access petting zoos (where human behavior won’t be controlled, and llamas won’t get much-needed breaks from humans) for this reason. No animal should be annoyed for human entertainment, and llamas DO NOT like to be touched in any case, so a petting zoo is pretty much their worst nightmare.”
The expert also noted that llamas are prey animals that don’t like to be touched, even by other llamas, so they’re typically wary of humans (another large, predatory animal that wants to grab and examine even the things it won’t eat).
“With most llamas, it’s hard to get them to spit on a human because the llamas would prefer to keep their distance,” Gwen noted. “The most certain way to get spat on is to provide a limited amount of high-value food and then stand in the middle of the llamas while they fight over the food. That being said, llamas are often triggered by a human raising their hand, especially in close quarters (the motion is exactly the same as another llama raising their head and neck to spit).”
“Llamas who have been teased with food spit quite readily. Llamas who have been touched and grabbed a lot against their will, especially when young and unable to defend themselves, get very good at pre-emptive spitting,” the llama expert says. “TLDR — a percentage of humans are jerks and will intentionally or unintentionally condition llamas to spit on humans.”
“Llamas are very curious, so playing hard to get will get you everywhere”
So how should people act around llamas? “A human who is around a llama for the first time should follow the lead of the llama’s caretaker (because all situations are different),” Gwen noted. “In all cases, though, do not reach out to the llama or expect to touch it, but allow it approach you instead. Llamas are very curious, so playing hard to get will get you everywhere.”
“Llamas have been domesticated for many thousands of years. South American natives get along extremely well with llamas … yet outside of South America, there is a lot of conflict reported between people and llamas,” the expert added. “It’s not just what stories hit the media (the media is a reflection of the society). So how did our society end up THAT different, so different that it cannot get along with an animal that intrinsically avoids humans?”
We would love to hear your thoughts on this snotty situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think these teens got what they deserved? Or do you think the employee was a bit too harsh on them? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda piece discussing petting zoo drama, look no further than right here!
Later, the employee responded to some comments and provided more details on the situation
Many readers thought that the employee was too harsh on the teens
However, some agreed that the teens got what was coming to them
My HS bio teacher told a story about watching a couple of teenagers harassing a lion at a zoo. As is common, the cage had bars a few inches apart and railing or fence to keep people from getting too close, but the teenagers were within perhaps 3' of the cage. After a bit of harassment the lion backed up against the bars of the cage and pissed all over them
Fafo... animals are no toy, they are living, breathing creatures and I'm all in for letting them defend themselves.
Sure. But what I am not okay with is someone whose job it is to protect the animals standing back and letting them be stressed out for petty reasons. If I saw this kind of behaviour from an animal owner or keeper I would have a LOT to say to them.
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Should have offered them a bucket of cold water to wash with OUTSIDE. Other than that, well played!
How is allowing an animal under your care to become stressed out "well played"?
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My HS bio teacher told a story about watching a couple of teenagers harassing a lion at a zoo. As is common, the cage had bars a few inches apart and railing or fence to keep people from getting too close, but the teenagers were within perhaps 3' of the cage. After a bit of harassment the lion backed up against the bars of the cage and pissed all over them
Fafo... animals are no toy, they are living, breathing creatures and I'm all in for letting them defend themselves.
Sure. But what I am not okay with is someone whose job it is to protect the animals standing back and letting them be stressed out for petty reasons. If I saw this kind of behaviour from an animal owner or keeper I would have a LOT to say to them.
Load More Replies... Should have offered them a bucket of cold water to wash with OUTSIDE. Other than that, well played!
How is allowing an animal under your care to become stressed out "well played"?
Load More Replies...
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