A group of unlikely heroes with long necks and even longer eyelashes has earned local praise after helping police detain a suspected thief on a Derbyshire farm.
Last Monday evening, Heidi Price and her partner Graham Oliver were alerted to unusual commotion outside their rural property when their animals began making loud alarm calls. It was dark, and something clearly wasn’t right.
Moments later, they discovered the reason: a man fleeing police after allegedly stealing from a nearby resident had squeezed through a fence and run straight into their field — and directly into the path of eight very alert llamas.
Instead of scattering, the herd sprang into action.
The six-foot-tall animals galloped toward the intruder and formed a tight circle around him, blocking any chance of escape and sounding their distinctive warning cry.
“They don’t like people entering their personal space after dusk,” Price explained. “Our llamas galloped over and literally made a circle around him. Then they started releasing their warning call, which sounds like an old man laughing.”
The unexpected standoff left the suspect frozen in place.
“He didn’t know what to do next and looked absolutely terrified,” she said.
Graham, accompanied by the family dog, went into the field and found what he described as a “citizens’ arrest” already underway. The dog barked at the man’s feet while the llamas stood guard, ensuring he stayed put until police arrived.
“My partner led him back across the field and over the fence where officers arrested him,” Price said with a chuckle. “The llamas had already done the hard part.”
She joked that the man’s night could have been even worse. Had he run deeper into the pasture, he might have encountered five large bulls instead.
“But the llamas made the citizens’ arrest,” she laughed. “I think they deserve some kind of recognition award.”
The heartwarming twist is fitting for animals with a gentle history. Price rescued the llamas nearly a decade ago when a farm was closing down. Through patience and training especially during the pandemic the once-wary animals became calm and people-friendly.
Today, they even serve as therapy animals, helping support individuals with mental health challenges. Price’s work has been recognised in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy.
“Llamas are really interesting animals,” she said. “They’re incredibly perceptive and protective.”
Derbyshire Police confirmed a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of theft and later released on bail.
As for the llamas, they handled their unexpected night shift with admirable restraint.
“They kept good manners, even when faced with adversity,” Price said.
From therapy companions to farmyard guardians, it seems these gentle animals are always ready to lend a helping hoof or eight.