Yet again I’m violating that old dictum of “Don’t change horses in midstream”. But this time I’m changing to a llama! Specifically, to Caesar “The No Drama Llama” McCool, owned by Larry McCool of Jefferson Oregon.
(I just read about Caesar right after lunch – so I threw this together in a hurry. But trust me – this story has a lot more panache than what I had ready to go. But I’ll foist that on you another time.)
What makes Caesar so unique is his unusual demeanor for a llama, which are usually solitary animals and not all that fond of humans. But Caesar is loving and relishes interacting with people to the point he’s actually become a “llama therapist”.
Caesar is a 6-year-old Argentine grand champion show llama who lives at McCool’s Mystic Llama farm. Before the COVID-19 Pandemic and the BLM protests, Caesar was busy offering emotional support and hugs (he actually nuzzles back when he gets a hug “It’s all I can do to keep him from snuggling” McCool claims) to retirement centers, foster homes and schools.
But for the past several months McCool has brought him to Black Lives Matter marches at least ten times, including five in Portland (which is 75 miles from Jefferson) to help with emotional support.
McCool says Caesar is actually a “llamactivist” who’s been busy with social and charity events, and has participated in more than 50 marches over the years for various social justice and environmental issues.
It was this impressive résumé that inspired McCool to bring him to the Portland protests as a calming influence for both the protestors and police. And Caesar’s been a wildly popular success with all parties!
At 5′-8″ and 350 pounds, you would think Caesar might be intimidating. But people line up to pet his soft wool and give him a hug – and his calm demeanor just rubs off on folks.
McCool says that he’s very careful to monitor the situation, and the minute he sees or senses events getting too rambunctious, he and Caesar more to a safe zone.
Caesar may not be able to talk, but he can sense the vibe of his surroundings. McCool reports that on June 9th when 5,000 people laid down on the Burnside Bridge in Portland for 8 minutes 46 seconds in memory of George Floyd, Caesar was right there and stood stock-still for 9 minutes. He was able to grasp the gravity of the moment.
And Caesar travels in style. He has his own trailer with two inches of foam padding to protect and keep him comfortable and safe. And we’re thankful for that.
After all, McCool shares that he’s seen huge, muscular protestors in makeshift body armor come up and give Caesar a hug for over a minute with tears streaming down their faces. Then turning to McCool say “Man, did I need that!”
“Maybe they’re going to have a better day because of a llama hug. Who would have thought a llama could bring this much joy?”
Pretty sure ALL sides can give Larry McCool and Caesar a huge “THANK YOU!” hug for a job well done!
SOURCES:
https://www.insider.com/caesar-the-no-drama-llama-keeping-peace-portland-protests-2020-8
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/08/07/us/07reuters-global-race-protests-llama.html
12 Responses to “Friday Fun: Caesar “The No Drama Llama” McCool”
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There is definitely something that inspires confidence about a person who is not dramatic (another “no-drama” expression comes to mind), and that is particularly true if they also have empathy. Which Caesar apparently does. My arms are getting itchy for a hug just looking at the pictures.
I’d seen him, but hadn’t stopped to read until now. I should have. Thank you so much, Nameless.
In one of the pictures, not only does the woman hugging Caesar have a big smile but look at Caesar — he does too! I just want to hug him so much . . . all that thick wool and cool disposition!
Thanks Nameless! BTW, I hope you don’t mind but I gave your article a title so that it was easier to access.
What a lovely story, Nameless
Caesar is such a beautiful llama. Does such a great job bringing joy to everyone he comes in contact with.
I want to say “Thank You” to Larry McColl for sharing Caesar with so many people….ones who certainly needed it.
Thanks again, Nameless
Three cheers for beautiful, gentle Caesar and his keeper and activist Larry McCool! From the photos, it is clear that they do good on both sides of the demonstration. Even the federal agents appear to be enchanted by lovely Ceasar.
I’m glad Larry keeps Ceasar away from the melee and doesn’t expose him to violence, teargas and pepper spray. That would be too much even for such a relaxed llama like Ceasar.
Thanks for posting such an uplifting story, Nameless.
How awfully sweet and Kudos to Caesar, and to his owner, Larry McCool!
Such a wonderful and such a deeply touching article. You’re showing the world how things get done, with compassion and understanding. We need this.
Love, love, love it!
Stay safe, and may you prosper, Caesar and Larry.
Thank you Nameless, for posting this great story..
This is truly an amazing story. Most Llamas would just as soon spit at people than anything else.
Touching (no pun) and marvelous. But, then touching is so central to caring.
Maybe when Disney gets around to their inevitable(?) live-action remake of “The Emperor’s New Groove,” Caesar can portray Kuzco in llama form.
Thanks Nameless!
Caesar is certainly NOT a Republican.
Thanks Nameless. I find myself calming with every story of support I read (getting rarer as the media moved on despite continuing protests in a whole lot of cities beyond Portland) for the protesters–those who brought masks (you’d want to change yours if it got saturated with tear gas or pepper spray), water bottles and other first aid, etc. The presence of all of those things helped keep things calmer (among the protesters at least) yet this is the first example of something that also helped calm the law enforcement officers who were present.
AWWWW….what a wonderful story! After 30 years of working with animals at the zoo, I can tell you dozens of stories about the power of animals to touch our hearts! Thanks to Larry….and, of course, to Caesar!
That would have been my dream job (and I would have been really unqualified, sadly.) You should write a book with those stories! Or even just some articles with a few stories i each … I would cheerfully post anything if you would emai them to me.
A lovely story! Thanks, Nameless …
We know that animals can provide invaluable therapeutic support, but in these circumstances, a llama stands out in a way that a therapy dog couldn’t!