Editor’s Note: There is no audio in the video above. It is raw video with the sound from the helicopter.
SUN CITY, Ariz. – Social media and cable news stations were captivated when two escaped llamas ran free through Sun City, Arizona.
CNN, Fox News and local affiliates all broke into coverage of the nearly hour-long llama chase.
“Llamas on the loose,” read Fox News’s chyron while “Llamas on the lam in Arizona” led CNN.
As for social media, Twitter gave interesting color commentary on the escaped animals.
“This llama chase is already 10X more entertaining than the Oscars,” tweeted Ryan Parker, breaking news reporter for the L.A. Times.
“A ‘The Newsroom’ episode about the llamas would actually be great,” tweeted Walter Hickey of FiveThirtyEight.
“Attention #CPAC2015 reporters: WE ARE COVERING THE WRONG STORY,” CNN Politics senior reporter Chris Moody wrote on the social media site.
All of this with the hashtag #LlamaWatch as one of the top trending topics on Twitter.
The Washington Post even put up a breaking story about “Llama Watch” with the headline, “BREAKING: Two llamas are on the run” that was bylined by five reporters.
“PROUD TO BE A PART OF THIS,” Elahe Izadi, a national general assignment reporter for the Post, tweeted.
Sadly, a man with a lasso in a pickup truck brought an end to the thrilling chase by capturing the llamas.
And just like that, cable news went back to stories about the FCC’s big vote on net neutrality that took place on Thursday.
Yet, what a ride it was.
“I am recusing myself from coverage of this story,” tweeted ABC News anchor Tom Llamas. “There will be no further comment. #TeamLlamas #LlamaChase #LlamaWatch.”
By: Frank Pallotta for CNN
