Serge (llama)
Serge the llama (born 29 June 2005, Saint-Nazaire) is 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]
During the night of 30 to 31 October, 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, now a celebrity, was bookable for parties at 1200 euros per event, and appeared as a mascot at soccer games.[6]
A parody Stromae's song Papaoutai "Lamaoutai" was viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube. The parody was made with the cooperation of the circus and Serge himself.[7]
References
- ^ Newspaper article with bio of Serge
- ^ Website of Cirque Franco-Italien (last visited on 2014)
- ^ Serge Lama sur Serge le lama dans le tramway de Bordeaux : "C'est génial !", RTL.fr, 2 november 2011
- ^ Drunk youngsters steal a llama from a circus and take it for a ride in the tram !, SudOuest, 1 november 2013
- ^ Serge le lama dans le tramway de Bordeaux: le cirque retire sa plainte, l'Express, 3 november 2013
- ^ Serge le lama assistera au match Bordeaux-Nantes, Le Matin, 8 november
- ^ Oukilemonlama - Lamaoutai (OFFICIAL VIDEO), official video on youtube, uploaded on 28 november 2013