5 years following #llamadrama, 1 of the 2 is still doing well in Chino Valley

PHOENIX - Wednesday marks five years since two llamas were on the loose in Sun City, in a story that captivated the country and took the internet by storm.

On February 26, 2015, s large, white llama and a smaller black llama darted through the streets of the West Valley during lunch hour. Cars and golf carts stopped in their tracks because of the wayward livestock.

The fugitive llamas were part of a trio that was making a therapy visit to residents at an assisted living facility.

(Click here if you can't see the video)

"I'm just reaching for the rope and somebody did something stupid behind me, I have no idea what, and she took off," said Karen Freund, in a 2018 interview with FOX 10's Matt Rodewald.

For the next 3 hours, the world was infatuated with Kahneeta (the white llama), Laney (the black llama).

As soon as it began, it came to an end when a man with a lasso reeled them in. With time, the Llama Drama faded away, and the family eventually moved to Chino Valley.

In the years since, Laney contracted Valley Fever.

"When we went to have her sheered the year after we moved up here, and I was brushing her and I was like, she's lost a lot of weight," said Freund, in 2018.

Laney died in August 2017.

Kahneeta, who is 10 years old, has a son. Back in 2018, Freund said they were hoping to breed her.

Following Llama Drama, efforts to take llamas out for visits as therapy animals were scrapped. Still, Karen Freund says Llama Drama elevated the popularity of llamas.

The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.