Therapy llamas ‘deliver instant joy’ for travelers at Portland airport

Holiday travels can leave frequent flyers feeling stressed — that’s why one airport introduced therapy animals as a way for people to cope.

But these aren’t your typical comfort canines; instead, the Portland International Airport is employing llamas.

The incredibly furry, huggable and mammoth llamas named Beni and Prince took a trip to the travel hub this month dressed their best in festive garb: their necks adorned with holly red bows and poinsettias with a pair of antlers atop their heads.

The 350-pound visitors, from the non-profit Mountain Peaks Therapy Llamas & Alpacas, calmed the masses amid the chaos of the holidays and made spirits soar, welcoming embraces, head rubs and even some smooches as they made their way through the terminals during their two-hour procession.

“The llamas deliver instant joy,” Allison Ferre, the media relations manager for the Port of Portland, told The Post in a statement, adding that the procession was part of the airport’s recent holiday programming revamp.

“Our airport partners with different organizations to bring in therapy animals throughout the year and it’s a particularly great way to spread cheer and help passengers destress during the busy holiday travel season,” she said.

Footage of the pair’s anticipated visit went viral online, the airport’s official Instagram page writing how “wonderful” it was to “see how many smiles they brought to travelers.”

Shannon Joy, a self-proclaimed “llama mama” and daughter of Mountain Peaks founder Lori Gregory, told The Post that Beni and Prince exchanged “fuzzy feelings” with weary travelers who were rushing to board a connection or get to their final destination, making interactions brief.

“So folks would walk up, give a much-needed hug, and be on their way,” explained Joy, the owner of. Classy Camelids.

“Getting to hug THERAPY LLAMAS during one of the most stressful travel seasons is life giving,” the official Mountain Peaks account wrote on Instagram. “We are so happy we could help lighten so many spirits!!”

Llamas, Joy said, make wonderful therapy animals because of their “extremely soft” and strong necks — they neck wrestle with one another, so “you cannot hurt them,” she noted — which are perfect to “squeeze your stress away.”

“So to melt into their hair is likened to that feeling of being a child hugging you favorite teddy bear,” she added.

On TikTok, viewers gushed over the cuddly creatures, saying they’d gladly miss their connections if it meant spending some quality time with the gentle giants.

“I already know I would miss my flight to cuddle the llamas,” one user wrote.

“And my heart grew 3x’s after watching this video,” another said.

Mountain Peaks, located about 22 miles north of Portland in Ridgefield, Washington, offers on-site therapy visits with the animals, and has brought the cute camelids to local senior communities, healthcare facilities, weddings, parties and more for more than 15 years.

“The uniqueness of sharing llamas and alpacas brings new life into every person we meet,” Joy said.

“And because many have never met a llama or alpaca before, our brains get engaged with a world of curiosity…Curiosity and human engagement are so therapeutic to everyone we meet. So it’s a real treat to bring joy wherever we go.”