‘‘Crime-Fighting’ Llamas Catch Thief by Surrounding Him in a Field Until Cops Arrive
– By Good News Network – Feb 8, 2026
Here is Heidi Price with her llamas – SWNS photo.
A herd of llamas helped police catch a would-be thief by cornering him in a field until officers arrived. It was dark outside last Monday evening when animals making a loud alarm call alerted a man to an intruder on the couple’s farmland.
The crook fled the scene after stealing from a woman in Derbyshire, England, and squeezed through a fence onto farmland belonging to Heidi Price and Graham Oliver. But his escape did not go according to plan. As he ran through the field, eight llamas galloped toward him and surrounded him. Their warning cries alerted Graham, who discovered that the crime-fighting llamas had made a “citizens’ arrest.”
Graham entered the field with his dog and found the “terrified” suspect encircled by the 6-foot animals before police arrived on the scene.
“We’ve got eight llamas, and they don’t like people entering their personal space after dusk,” said Heidi, who arrived home to find police officers gathered on the road.
Llamas galloped to him
“Our llamas galloped over to him and surrounded him. They literally formed a circle around him and then started releasing their warning cry, 
which sounds like an old man laughing.
“He didn’t know what to do next and looked absolutely terrified,” she told SWNS news agency.
The dog barked around the intruder’s feet, which scared him even more. “My partner led him back across the field to where he’d come from and back over the fence, where the police arrested him.”
Heidi speculated that the man’s situation could have been much worse. If the llamas hadn’t stopped him, he might have ventured further into the field and encountered five huge bulls—and his fate could have been far nastier.
“But the llamas made a citizens arrest,” she joked. “I was wondering if they would get some sort of citizens recognition award!”
Heidi reluctantly rescued the llamas 10 years ago when a farm was closing down, and she has since become a member of the British Llama Society and learned a great deal.
The eight animals weren’t accustomed to human contact at first, but during COVID, she worked with them until they became comfortable being handled. Now, thanks to her support and patience, the llamas remain calm and confident around people and even serve as therapy animals supporting patients with mental health issues.
She told SWNS that the British Journal of Occupational Therapy has published a description of her llama therapy program.
“Llamas are really interesting animals. Their only defense mechanism is spitting… and they were close to extinction before people recognized their incredible guard-dog abilities and began using them to protect sheep and chickens.”
Derbyshire Police confirmed that officers arrested a man in his 30s at the scene on suspicion of theft and later released him on police bail.
