Three Men Arrested In Llama Mutilation: ‘They Did This For Fun’

Three men have been arrested in connection to the cruel mutilation and killing of a llama in an act that the police and the owner are describing as “pure meanness.”

The llama, named Mighty, was ten years old and spent her days protecting the dozens of alpacas on Borderline Farms for owner Tammy Limer. Borderline Farms, located in North Carolina, is described as a “little piece of heaven in a hectic world.” The farm shears its herd of alpacas for fur once a year, and like many alpaca and sheep farms, uses a llama to protect the herd, since the larger llama can alert the other animals in the herd to danger by posture, and is known to sometimes become aggressive towards a perceived threat, running towards the threat and kicking. Dogs and even coyotes have been injured or killed by llamas when threatening a herd.

Mighty, the llama who was mutilated and killed, was no small animal.

“This llama weighed 300 pounds,” Limer said. “She (wasn’t) a little thing. It took some effort for them boys to do what they did.”

The men charged in the attack are James Robert Lee, 18, Alexander Samuel Clark, 20, and Cody Wyatt Bray, 22, according to authorities. They now stand accused of felony breaking and entering, felony larceny, second-degree trespassing and cruelty to animals.

The llama was attacked and killed on January 28. According to deputies, on Wednesday afternoon, Lee, Clark and Bray went onto Borderline Farms, stabbed the llama several times and then cut it in half. Parts of her body were found in two separate locations on the farm.

“It was a horrible death,” Limer said. “She was one of my pets.” When asked to describe a possible motive for the crime, Limer was succinct.

“What I was told is pure meanness. They did this for fun.”

In addition to protecting the more vulnerable alpacas in the herd, Limer also used her llama as animal therapy for both autistic children and the elderly.

“I’ve taken them to nursing homes and those people just light up when they see them,” she said. “It makes their day, but I think it probably does more for me than it does for them.”

It was not clear if any of the three men accused of the mutilation and killing of the llama have attorneys, and a spokesman for the sheriff’s office wasn’t immediately available for additional comment Monday.

Although Mighty the Llama was the victim of this horrible crime, another llama found itself on the opposite side of the police. Click here to read why one police officer had to use his taser on a llama. And for more on how llamas are actually used as pet therapy, click here.

[Image via Wikipedia]