Serge (llama)
Serge the llama (29 June 2005 – 2020) was a llama in the circus Cirque Franco-Italien of John Beautour[1][2] and internet meme. Serge was named after the French singer Serge Lama, who described the choice of name as "genius".[3]
 | |
| Species | Llama |
|---|---|
| Born | June 29, 2005 Saint-Nazaire, France |
| Died | 2020 (aged 14–15) |
During the night of 30 to 31 October 2013, while the circus was performing in Bordeaux, the llama was taken from its cage by a group of five youths returning from a disco. They took the llama out for a walk, posted some pictures on social media, and took it on a tram. The five were arrested by the police and Serge was returned to his owner, unharmed.[4]
Initially the circus director John Beautour pressed charges. However, the photos went viral on the internet, leading to a lot of publicity for the circus. Beautour subsequently dropped the charges.[5]
The llama was bookable for parties at 1,200 Euros per event, and appeared as a mascot at soccer games.[6]
A parody of the Stromae song Papaoutai called "Lamaoutai" was viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube. The parody was made with the cooperation of the circus.[7]
References
- Newspaper article with bio of Serge
- Website of Cirque Franco-Italien Archived 2014-03-20 at the Wayback Machine (last visited on 2014)
- "Serge Lama sur Serge le lama dans le tramway de Bordeaux : "C'est génial !"". RTL.fr (in French). 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
- "Drunk youngsters steal a llama from a circus and take it for a ride in the tram !". SudOuest.fr. 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
- Simon, Marie (2013-11-03). "Serge le lama dans le tramway de Bordeaux: le cirque retire sa plainte". LExpress.fr (in French). Retrieved 2017-07-10.
- "Serge le lama assistera au match Bordeaux-Nantes". Le Matin (in French). 2013-08-11. ISSN 1018-3736. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
- Scorpio Music (2013-11-28), Oukilemonlama - Lamaoutai (OFFICIAL VIDEO), retrieved 2017-07-10