World's oldest llama enjoys comforting chronically ill children in North Carolina

A bucktoothed llama that spends his days comforting chronically ill children at a North Carolina camp founded by NASCAR royalty has been crowned the world’s oldest llama in captivity.

At 27 years and more than 250 days, the selfie- and snuggle-loving llama called Whitetop dethroned Dalai Llama, the Guinness World Records announced last week. Dalai lived on a ranch in Albuquerque and was announced as the oldest in 2023 shortly after his 27th birthday.

Whitetop was donated to the Victory Junction camp in 2006, just two years after race car driver Kyle Petty — the son of NASCAR great Richard Petty — and his family founded the camp in honor of Petty's own son, Adam, who was 19 when he was killed in a 2000 crash while practicing for a race.

The year-round free camp sits on 84 acres (34 hectares) in the Petty hometown of Randleman, North Carolina, about 75 miles (121 kilometers) west of Raleigh. It’s designed for children with conditions that include cancer, kidney and heart disease, cerebral palsy, Spina Bifida and an array of neurological and physical disabilities.

Whitetop has become known for his relaxed, sweet and empathetic personality. His go-to move is to lie still while campers pet him, which can comfort children and give them important sensory input, said Billie Davis, the camp's barn director.

“He really gets to help campers come out of their shell when they interact with him," she said. "He can be kind of intimidating at first, but once they come over to him and love on him and pet on him, they just realize how sweet he is.”

One of his best friends is a miniature highland cow named Gus-Gus, who tends to forget Whitetop is a llama and enjoys jumping on him. Whitetop also likes to roll in fresh wood chippings, chomp on soaked alfalfa and pose for selfies.

“If you try to take a picture of him from the side, he’s not into it," Davis said. "He will, like scoot in there and try to get his face from a side profile so that it’s like he’s cheesing.”

Davis attributes Whitetop's long life to great veterinary care and exercise, as well as it simply loving his job.

The average life span for a llama is 15 years, according to the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance.

Whitetop has developed arthritis in his twilight years but otherwise is very healthy, said Davis. And the only times the llama becomes upset is when Gus-Gus, along with two miniature donkeys named Jed and Jethro, leave him alone.

Stephanie Wilkerson, 33, first went to the camp’s family weekend in 2006 after she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She said she was initially a little nervous around Whitetop but soon realized petting him and giving him hugs made her feel better.

“When I started stroking him more and more and more, I got more relaxed," said Wilkerson, who lives in Thomasville, North Carolina.

With Whitetop’s newfound fame in longevity, the camp has started selling limited edition T-shirts displaying Whitetop with sunglasses and the words, “Still Spit’n.” The proceeds go to the camp.

Although Davis said Whitetop would like people to know not all llamas spit on you.

“Typically llamas only spit when they are scared, uncomfortable or territorial over something," she said. "And he just loves his job so much that he doesn’t do it.”