'It was a graveyard': Nine neglected llamas rescued from East Valley property, others found dead

EAST VALLEY, Wash. — Nine llamas were rescued from a property in East Valley after authorities discovered several had been injured in a dog attack, some had been severely neglected and others didn't survive.

“We rolled up there, went out and looked in the pasture and it was a graveyard: it even smelled," said Rondi Smith, president of the Olympic Peninsula Alpaca Rescue. "There were piles of fleece where a llama had just been killed.”

Smith said at least three llamas had died on the property. She said one pregnant llama named Latte had been injured in a dog attack that killed her cria — her baby — and her own injuries had been left untreated.

“There were over 15 wounds, dog bite wounds that had been torn or punctured," Smith said.

Smith said another pregnant llama is suffering from foot rot, a condition that can be fatal if left untreated.

"It's probably one of the most painful things for an animal because you can’t walk, and you have to walk, and every time you walk, it hurts more," Smith said.

The rescue was conducted by the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of two nonprofits who specialize in animal rescue after the owner agreed to surrender the llamas.

Pasado’s Safe Haven took in four of the animals, while the Olympic Peninsula Alpaca Rescue provided care for the remaining five, including those with the worst injuries.

Yakima County Sheriff's Animal Control Officer Cindy Kanzler said they were initially called out to a report that dogs had killed a llama, but soon discovered the conditions the llamas were being kept in.

"I did find two other llamas deceased on the property," Kanzler said. "My concern was that we were losing them through lack of care, proper nutrition. There was no food source on the property other than some really dried up old brambly bushes and things like that."

Kanzler said when it comes to the law enforcement side in this case, she determined based on evidence found during the investigation not to request criminal charges be filed against the owner.

“I know everybody wants us to file charges against everybody that does an animal harm," Kanzler said. "I have to use my own good judgment on whether that's an appropriate direction to take.”

Kanzler said the owner in this case was an elderly man who had owned the llamas since 2017. She said the pets he kept in and around his home were well taken care of, but he had mobility issues that made it difficult for him to care for the others across the property.

“I don’t feel that he had the intentions of starving them, of not caring for them properly," Kanzler said. "He was just incapable of doing so in the situation that he was currently in.”

Now, the llamas are being taken care of and having their medical issues treated. Smith said when it comes to the llamas in their care, adoption could be an option in the future, but not anytime soon.

“There's several parts of being able to adopt out an animal: one is behavioral work, two is medical and then three is to make sure that they're going to fit in with whoever your adopter is going to be," Smith said.

Smith said llamas like Latte, who is severely malnourished and still recovering from dog bites, may not ever leave the rescue.

In the meantime, Smith said they need help to cover the cost of care, asking individuals to sponsor a llama at $80 per month for a minimum of a year.

“That doesn't cover their medical; the rescue still picks up the medical, but the sponsorship covers our monthly bills," Smith said.

For the medical costs, Smith said they've set up a GoFundMe with a breakdown of how much they need for each procedure.

Pasado's Safe Haven is also accepting donations to assist with the cost of caring for the llamas they took in.

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