Obama Killed By Wild Dogs

A popular farm animal met an unfortunate end at Diamond M Ranch Resort last week.


Obama the Llama was fatally injured by three dogs on June 4.


“They chased him down and mauled him to death,” said owner Carol Martin.


Obama was still alive when Martin found him, so Martin called a veterinarian. The vet came out and treated the wounded Obama.


Martin said he swelled up and suffocated.
“It’s really, really gruesome,” Martin said.
Obama was born a year ago. He was black and white — and his mom died while giving birth — so he was christened Obama the llama with no mama, Martin said.


“He was a friendly little guy,” Martin said. “He thought dogs were his friends. He was in the parades, he was in the newspaper.”


After his mom died, Obama nursed on a Nubian nanny goat. He ran with a pack of goats, one big state champion that Martin bought at the fair in Ninilchik last summer, and a couple of miniatures. One of the miniatures was missing Saturday when Martin found Obama.


That goat was found dead on Wednesday, also a casualty of the dogs running free.
Martin’s story is more common than wildlife and law enforcement officials would like.
Wildlife technician Larry Lewis, who works for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said that his office is among those that respond when dogs don’t get along with other animals.
“It’s relatively common,” he said.


There’s no one agency that has sole jurisdiction over incidents like the one at Diamond M last weekend.
“We all are responsive to those types of calls,” Lewis said.


Usually the Alaska State Troopers or the Alaska Department of Fish and Game respond, but it can also be a federal issue. In cities, city police or animal control are often responsible. Fish and Game refers calls about dogs chasing domestic animals to the troopers, because the department mostly deals with wild animals, he explained.


Both Kenai and Soldotna have animal control ordinances designed, in part, to prevent such events. But Diamond M is outside of city limits, and the Kenai Peninsula Borough doesn’t have leash laws.
“It’s relatively self-policing,” Lewis said. His department recommends that people keep their dogs constrained.


“And then be cautious,” he said.
Martin said it’s unfortunate that people don’t understand the need to confine their dogs, particularly in the spring.


“They become wild predators,” he said.


In the last 40 years, Martin has seen more than a few dogs harassing other animals.
“It’s happened over and over again.”


Last year, Martin saw some dogs harassing caribou out on the Kenai River flats, not far from the ranch. As allowed by Alaska statute, Martin shot at them to break up the attack. The dogs left, some running, at least one hobbling.


“That three-legged dog was one of the three that came up here,” Martin said, referring to the three that killed Obama.

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