Story highlights A llama on the loose stops traffic near college town of Athens, Georgia

Authorities catch the animal and return it safely to its owner

(CNN) A Georgia college town isn't the natural setting for a llama, so motorists might have thought they were hallucinating when the wooly creature on the loose caught their eye.

Hannah Martin and her boyfriend, Matt Bridgers, had stopped in traffic Wednesday when they saw the llama casually wandering along Epps Bridge Parkway, a busy thoroughfare outside Athens, Georgia.

A video posted by Bobby Eaton (@what.about.bob) on Jan 4, 2017 at 1:11pm PST

"I first spotted the llama about 100 yards away crossing the road and initially thought it was a person," Martin said. "Never would've expected a llama until it started galloping down the median toward us."

Other drivers were also quick to notice the animal native to South America, which seemed unperturbed by the flashing blue lights from a police car. "It's a good day for (Oconee County) cops," one onlooker tweeted.

it's a good day for oconee county cops pic.twitter.com/7m1kQqakVw — katie beth carey (@katiebethcarey) January 4, 2017

The llama belongs to an area resident, Chief Deputy Lee Weems of the Oconee Sheriff's Office said.

Read More