YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — A llama named Joaquin has been reported missing in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) by Yellowstone Llamas, a business that leads llama-assisted treks into the park.
Yellowstone Llamas owner Susi Hülsmeyer-Sinay told Buckrail that Joaquin had been one of many pack llamas out on a trek near the Lamar Valley’s Cache Creek Trail on Sunday, Aug. 13. The llamas were staked out for the night when a number of bison ran past.
“These bison were racing through camp and totally spooking the llamas, and Joaquin was closest to them and proceeded to pull out his pin with great force because he was so terrified,” she said. “He raced down the trail. One of our guides followed him but lost sight of him. The hope was that he would go back to the trailhead, but when the guides got to the trailhead, there were bison there as well. The guide waited overnight but the llama did not come back.”
Because Joaquin had been tied up for the night, he could still be weighed down by a line and carabiner. This might lead him to get stuck in one place, making him tougher to find.
He was spotted by YNP visitors at Trout Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 15, but no further sightings have been reported. Yellowstone Llamas has sent out a number of search parties and will continue to do so.
“Joaquin is a big llama,” Hülsmeyer-Sinay said. “He’s as big as an elk, almost. He’s brown and he has a white face. He’s friendly, he likes people, so I expect if people walk up to him, he won’t bolt, he’ll be relieved.”
Bison are currently in their rut season, making them more aggressive than usual.
“I wonder if once the bison slow down and start relaxing a little bit, it might be easier to find him,” Hülsmeyer-Sinay said.
If Joaquin is spotted again, Hülsmeyer-Sinay is ready to mobilize her team.
“Llamas are intelligent, but they need their llama buddies,” she said. “If we get any inkling of where he is, if we go up there with llamas, maybe that will be the next step. We want to find him before the winter, that’s for sure. They can survive in Yellowstone. They love all the vegetation in Yellowstone.”
In spite of the stressful situation, Hülsmeyer-Sinay remains optimistic.
“I will try my absolute utmost to find him,” she said.
Anyone who spots Joaquin in the park is encouraged to contact Yellowstone’s Backcountry Office at 307-344-2160.
This is not the first time a llama has gone missing in Yellowstone, nor is it Hülsmeyer-Sinay’s first time searching for a llama in the park. In July of 2018, a pack llama named Ike escaped from an outfitter’s camp inside the park, and roamed YNP alone for months. He was spotted by many visitors but always evaded capture, until Oct. 2018, when Hülsmeyer-Sinay found him on the shore of Lewis Lake and rescued him. She renamed him Lewis and brought him into her fold, eventually writing a book about him. Read more about Ike/Lewis here.
