The animals had slipped through a hole in a fence in their enclosure at the petting zoo, and made a run for it, according to zoo officials.
The escapees included nine sheep, two donkeys, one llama, a pony and a dwarf bull.
And it was apparently every animal for itself as they all ran in different directions. The llama was spotted in a park, while the pony and donkeys made it into someone’s back courtyard. Other animals wandered onto a playground.
Photos of the animals’ excursion showed their frantic fleeing on social media.
Tiere aus einem Streichelzoo haben sich heute für kurze Zeit in #Köln-Nippes umgesehen https://t.co/Sz4VBH3bFa
— WDR (@WDR) April 18, 2017
„Achtung Lamas!“ In #Nippes waren mehrere Tiere aus einem Streichelzoo ausgebüxt: https://t.co/1gBBh7oET3 pic.twitter.com/0qCIeokRdy
— WDR Aktuelle Stunde (@aktuelle_stunde) April 18, 2017
It took seven police officers and a 15-head search team from the petting zoo to finally round up the rowdy deserters, none of whom were harmed.
#Focus: Köln – Abenteuerlicher Ausflug: Hier rast ein Lama über die Neusser Straße in… https://t.co/WqH2uHkvm0 #Neuigkeiten #Nachrichten pic.twitter.com/mDx0Wioho4
— Dennis Dietsch (@DennisDietsch1) April 18, 2017
“The animals thought that it would certainly be quite exciting to explore the city on their own,” police wrote on Facebook.