This is the animal which gave motorists in mid Essex an "allaming" experience when they saw it walking along the A120 near Braintree.

Bizarrely it turned out the llama was on a sponsored walk with its owner Rosita Apasa.

Essex Police and the RSPCA received many calls from motorists yesterday about the llama, especially as it caused a two-mile tailback of traffic as drivers slowed down to look near Felsted.

The llama with owner Rosita Apasa

The brown and white llama called Pacha, was bought by 20-year-old Miss Apasa, a Peruvian musician, for £200 from a Norfolk farmer and she is walking him to Plymouth to join two female llamas owned by a friend.

She has spent some of the journey from Norwich to Devon trekking in bare feet despite the cold weather, but yesterday she wore shoes because of stones along the road.

James Horrocks, an inspector for RSPCA, inspected Pacha yesterday and offered advice to Miss Apasa on its welfare.

Published Wednesday, January 8, 2003

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