Llamas on the loose preempt CPAC coverage

by Neetzan Zimmerman - 02/26/15 4:26 PM ET

A pair of runaway llamas on the loose in Sun City, Ariz., gave local authorities chase for over an hour Thursday, capturing the attention of many online and preempting Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) coverage on major news networks.

The two llamas — one black, one white — brought traffic in Sun City (and workplaces around the country) to a standstill as they dodged vehicles and ran red lights before being caught just after 1:30 p.m. local time.

Fox News pre-empted coverage of the afternoon speeches at CPAC in favor of Llamas on the Lam, and CNN similarly went into wall-to-wall llama mode as the eyes of the nation turned away from net neutrality and Homeland Security funding to live llama drama.

Crowds gathering for LIVE breaking coverage of #llamas on the loose #CNN pic.twitter.com/POa1dW8ECb

— Lindsay Perna (@LPernaCNN) February 26, 2015

Relax guys, Washington Post has 5 reporters on the Llama story pic.twitter.com/vJn2bP5Vtn

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 26, 2015

Our entire office is currently live streaming llamas on the loose. #BreakingNews #LlamasOnTheLam pic.twitter.com/eSdcuI6DW6

— kj (@Katie__J) February 26, 2015

The Internet naturally became awash with llama-themed jokes, with many trending topics being devoted to “Thellama and Llouise,” including, for several long minutes, ’80s staple Lorenzo Lamas. The official Twitter account of NORAD and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) even got in on the llaughs:

Yup, 4 of the top trending terms on Twitter in the U.S. right now are about llamas. pic.twitter.com/3jX7WNq8fM

— Elana Zak (@elanazak) February 26, 2015