Following the “Llama Drama of 2023,” Blue Mountain llamas Lluka, Llewis and Todd have left their life on the lam and are participating in a new business venture that, hopefully, will help them go straight.
The three llamas escaped their enclosure last year when a gate was left open, prompting an extensive search including a veteran tracker, professional livestock wranglers on horseback, and highly coordinated search parties.
Lluka and Todd stayed out in the wilds of the Loree Forest for six days and Llewis evaded capture for 10 days, eventually getting cornered in a fenced orchard.
Samantha McKay, owner of the gallivanting trio, launched a new business last week at her farm called Alpine Ridge Alpacas, with the three famous llamas serving as the final act for anyone wanting to come and spend an afternoon walking along Back of Blue Farms’ fields with an alpaca.
“It’s amazing how the community came together for them,” McKay told CollingwoodToday. “I never would have thought in a million years that I’d be walking through the deep parts of the Loree Forest looking for my llamas.”
“It’s been an adventure and a journey to get us here,” she said.
Todd, Lluka and Llewis are not available for walking, and are always penned at the end of the farm’s walking tour. McKay would like to be able to trust the llamas to go on the walking tours, but they've already proven to be flight risks.
“Since the Llama Drama of 2023, Lluka is going to stay put along with his fellow llama brothers,” said McKay.
McKay’s business idea started four years ago when she visited an alpaca walking farm similar to her own.
“That’s where I met Lluka. I was walking him when he was only a year old. I thought, this was such a cool job. This is what I want to do in the future,” she said.
McKay also fell in love with Lluka, and when the opportunity came up to purchase him in 2021, she jumped on it and purchased both him and his two alpaca brothers.
It was the start of her journey toward the business idea.
“I got my dream llama. I was one step closer, but I didn’t have a farm,” she said.
In 2023, McKay moved with her growing llama and alpaca herd to a Clarksburg farm. The Back of Blue Farms boasts wildflower native grass and flower fields and an orchard with a variety of fruit trees including apple, pear, cherry, grape, and plum. Vast forests, valleys and a creek also mark the property.
McKay suggests that hiking the entire path network and taking in the surroundings is a half-day adventure and in addition to meeting the llamas and the farm’s six alpacas, attendees also get to meet and feed a duo of baby-doll sheep. She said visitors spend 30 minutes walking the alpacas, and spend time learning about them and their quirks.
“Walking alpacas and llamas is very peaceful. You get happy. Your spirits are lifted,” she said. “They’re unique in their own ways.”
It's been about eight months since Lluka, Llewis and Todd's week-long caper made headlines.
“It’s crazy how their story took off. It went global. People in Australia were watching it on the news,” recalls McKay.
McKay remembers the experience fondly, with a mix of emotions. She points to the team of volunteers that helped her with the search back in November, including a search co-ordinator, tracker team and drone team. She stands on the precipice of her new business, and hopes she can make the community proud.
“It’s amazing, but also nerve-wracking. I want everything to go well. I’ve gone through a lot with these animals,” said McKay with a laugh. “I’m excited to be able to share this with everyone. It’s a fun experience.”
Visits to Alpine Ridge Alpacas are by-appointment only. More about the Back of Blue Farms or how to book a visit can be found here.
