TWO quick-footed llamas dashed in and out of traffic in a Phoenix-area retirement enclave before they were captured by U.S. authorities, causing a stir in the streets and on social media.

    A large, white llama and a smaller black llama darted through the streets of Sun City during the 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.

    Their televised breakout Thursday from GenCare Sun City at The Carillons quickly inspired a Twitter account and several hashtags including #LlamasonTheLoose, #llamadrama and #TEAMLLAMAS.

    Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain and the Arizona Cardinals got in on the fun. McCain tweeted that he was “glad that #LlamaDrama 2015 has been peacefully resolved!” The Cardinals tweeted that team “agreed to one-year deals with the #llamasontheloose,” promising the animals a salary in hay.

    Even the North American Aerospace Defense Command tweeted: “Llama had no known connections to ISIS. Appears to have self-radicalized.”

    The llama saga also made Lorenzo Lamas a trending topic. Some on Twitter joked that it was actually the actor who was on the loose in Arizona.

    The senior center’s executive director, Jill Parsons, said it was the first time the facility had hosted the llamas. Sun City is a community of about 37,000 people that is primarily made up of retirees.

    For more than an hour, residents petted the animals and walked them up and down the halls, Parsons said. Sometime after 11 a.m., the llamas’ handlers took them outside for a bathroom break. That’s when one got startled and took off, with the second llama in pursuit.

    Parsons said staff and some residents tried to help corral the animals.  (SD-Agencies)