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Dead llama mystifies Oakland officials Wed Sep 27, 9:54 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. - A dead llama found in the streets has left city officials wondering how the South American animal ended up abandoned in an urban area. At first, East Oakland residents assumed the 400-pound animal with black and white spots was a horse and called the city's animal control department to report the find. "At first it looked like a horse — all we saw was a head sticking out from a tarp," said Andrew Gordon, with Oakland's Animal Control Field Services. "But I looked at it closely,...

A timid alpaca that had been wandering the Chena Dome Trail since August was found dead by a would-be rescuer scouting the area on Saturday, the day before a rescue effort was planned. "I'm just heartbroken," said Dorrie Breese, who had been planning the rescue. "I don't have the words." The scout found the animal at a definite "kill site," Breese said. It's unknown how the alpaca was killed but the best guess is a bear, said Anna Plager, northern region parks superintendent for the Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. Fliers have been posted on the trail, a...