Llamas compete in annual spectacle at MN State Fair

(KMSP) - There’s a beauty, a majesty, a grace to the llama. After all, any animal that loves selfies so much has something going on.

Every year for three days, llamas from all over Minnesota compete at the State Fair.

“She's not going to hurt you, she doesn't bite,” said llama handler Riley Jacobsen. “She'll move around, but she's not going to bite me.”

It’s so quirky, it’s mesmerizing.

“We were like, ‘let’s just check it out for five minutes…and then here we are, watching all the llamas,” one spectator said.

Because llamas are often used as therapy animals, one competition includes the Public Relations Obstacle Course.

Trainers practice for taking their llama out in public where they need to weave through crowds and encounter new things.

Judge Mark Smith said he travels all over the world to judge competitions, including France, Switzerland, New Zealand and Canada.

“I didn't realize it was such a grueling circuit here for llamas.”