/At least 20 llamas missing from California exotic animal farm after burglary

At least 20 llamas missing from California exotic animal farm after burglary

About two dozen llamas were discovered missing from an exotic animal farm in Southern California after a burglary, authorities said Tuesday.

The break-in happened early Monday morning at a 14-acre farm in the Riverside County town of Perris, about 70 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, officials said.

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“We received a call about 6:30 a.m. regarding numerous llamas and emus walking” on a public street, Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Robyn Flores said in a statement reported by NBC Los Angeles.

“During the investigation, it was learned that a lock on the fence had been cut, which allowed the animals to leave the property.”

The farm’s operators, deputies and animal control officers, corralled many of the loose creatures. But it was later found that 20 to 30 llamas had been trucked away, according to Flores.

The Riverside County Department of Animal Services has been regularly visiting the site in recent days to address cleanliness and maintenance issues, a spokesman for the agency said Tuesday.

“We have walked the property and there is plenty of food for the animals. No emaciated animals,” county animal services spokesman John Welsh said in a statement to NBC News on Tuesday.

“This property is somewhat of an eyesore, but we do not have any evidence of anyone willfully neglecting or harming any animals,” the statement said.

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