[Ammi]

Portland International Airport decided to surprise its visitors by bringing in a couple of therapy llamas for people to hug, pet, and feed
It was around the last holiday season when the staff of the Portland International Airport decided to add a twist to their regular support animal rotation, consisting mainly of dogs, by inviting a couple of llama newcomers.
Meet Prince and Beni — the two residents of Mtn Peaks Therapy Llamas & Alpacas farm, who are more than happy to pose for some pictures or be petted, hugged, fed, and loved.
Residing outside the city, the llamas visit the airport approximately twice a month, and they never go unnoticed. “It’s just pure joy,” said the PDX media relations manager, Allison Ferre, in her interview with PEOPLE, adding that “travelers’ faces say it best.”

Not everyone gets to meet them, as the animals can only stay at the airport for a specific period, so it doesn’t pose a danger to their health, but they’re sure to return for more
But despite their massive popularity and some people literally planning their flights in a way to get to visit Portland airport, these cute animals can’t stay there for too long at a time. “[The animals are] only here for periods of time that are healthy for them.”
Fortunately, the information about when you’ll be able to meet Prince, Beni, and perhaps other llamas from their herd is widely available online. “We usually promote it on our social channels in advance of when they’re coming,” explained Allison. “We get disappointment when people miss them.”
People online loved learning about this almost as much as travelers at the Portland International Airport loved actually meeting the llamas. The comments section was full of warm messages saying how wonderful it was to have such cute animals to greet you at the airport, while others were quick to make jokes about other, less huggable animals that you can encounter in other airports.

Therapy animals are no novelty. We have all encountered or at least heard of therapy dogs and cats who can be a great assistance to those in need. But if there are also llamas and alpacas who can do this job just as well, why don’t we meet different animals doing these jobs as often?
As animal behaviorist Julie Bond explained to Bored Panda when we reached out to her for an interview, it’s all about logistics and practicality. “Dogs and cats are just more available! There are far more dog and cat owners than llama owners,” she said, adding that most people who keep farm animals don’t really breed them for therapy work.
In addition, livestock can hardly be ‘house trained,’ which complicates the visits to indoor places where these animals are most commonly used for therapy. That is especially true when looking through the perspective of cleanliness since the chance of a cat or a dog leaving a stinky mess is much less likely than that of a farm animal.