Rojo the Llama was a

llama The llama (; ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is soft ...

and therapy animal based in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

region of the United States. His handler was Shannon Joy of Mountain Peaks Therapy Llamas and Alpacas, also known as the "Llama Mama". He was named after his red coloring ("rojo" means "red" in Spanish). Rojo was a show animal in a

4-H 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times i ...

program and entered Dove Lewis' Animal-Assisted Therapy Training program at the age of 5. He was the

grand marshal Grand marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "marshal" with the first usage of the term "grand marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. The following ...

of Portland's Junior Rose Festival in 2013, and appeared at the city's Grand Floral Parade in 2019. Joy raised more than $8,000 to publish a children's book about Rojo called ''Rojo, The Perfectly Imperfect Llama''. In 2018, Joy and Rojo appeared at the

Ilani Casino Resort The ilani Casino Resort ( ) is a casino operated by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and located near La Center, Washington. The casino opened on April 24, 2017, after a lengthy legal battle over the tribe's right to establish a reservation on which to ...

to audition for the twentieth season of the reality television series '' Big Brother''. Rojo has been described as "Portland's most famous therapy animal". In 2019, after being a therapy animal for twelve years, Rojo retired and returned to his owner's

Ridgefield, Washington Ridgefield is a city in northern Clark County, Washington, Clark County, Washington (state), Washington. The population was 10,319 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 4,763 in 2010 United States census, 2010, making ...

farm. After experiencing declining health, Rojo died on the morning of November 6, 2019. His owners are having his body preserved and donated to the wildlife safari room at the

Washington School for the Blind Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

References

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External links

Rojo the Llama is Announced as Grand Marshal for the Junior Parade
(May 29, 2013),

Portland Rose Festival The Portland Rose Festival is an annual civic festival held during the month of June in Portland, Oregon. It is organized by the volunteer non-profit Portland Rose Festival Association with the purpose of promoting the Portland region. It inclu ...

Rojo the Llama in studio
(October 24, 2016),

KGW KGW (channel 8) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Jefferson Street in southwestern Portland, and its transmitter is located in the city' ...

2019 animal deaths Assistance animals Individual animals in the United States Individual camelids Llamas