Llama Drama at the Red Cow
Drivers on the M50 northbound had to look twice last week when a herd of five Llamas took a stroll along the M50 northbound between J10 Ballymount and J9 Red Cow Interchange. The major junction was closed for a while as, with a fair amount of huffing and puffing, Gardai and personnel from South Dublin Co. Council managed to control a potentially very dangerous situation.
"We had a huge number of calls from the public reporting the strange scene, as well as calls from local Gardai who were unsure if they could believe the reports they were hearing, but sure enough they could clearly be seen on the traffic cameras!" said Nicola Hudson, AA Roadwatch Controller .
The M50 northbound exit at J9 was closed for about 30 minutes and the underpass at the Red Cow Interchange was closed too, as Gardai corralled the animals off the road. The Llamas were accompanied by a few goats; the animals had wandered away from a Circus encampment close to the road and strayed onto the Motorway.
"They couldn't have picked a worse spot to graze, the Red Cow is a real pinch point for Dublin traffic" said Nicola "Luckily traffic was light and 50 minutes later they were captured, with minimal traffic delays and all lane closures at the Red Cow were lifted at 1:45pm"
This is not the first time AA Roadwatch has reported on animals disrupting the nation's roads:
Last August, Gina, the monkey, caused traffic mayhem on the N11 Dublin / Wicklow Rd southbound at Kilmacanogue when she escaped from a local sanctuary.
"One of the messiest incidents was in December 2005, when a truck overturned in Co. Cavan on the N55 south of Ballinagh" remarked Nicola "A cargo of 5000 live chickens got free, taking hours to recapture but the egg yolk on the roads were the real problem for traffic as thousands of eggs were laid in panic."
There are constantly loose sheep, cows and horses on the roads and a camel that got loose from a circus in Co. Offaly in March 2002.
Llamas go missing!
The Llamas clearly did not tire of the media spotlight straight away. It was reported on Friday 2nd October that the animals had gone missing from the pound in which they had been stored waiting to be claimed by their owner.Their whereabouts remains a mystery... AA Roadwatch hasn’t seen them since, so if you find them, do let us know! Email AA Roadwatch: roadw@aaireland.ie