More than sixty alpacas currently call a paradise valley neighborhood off Mountain View Road home, but according to neighbors and town officials, hopefully not for much longer.
"Back in August we approached the property resident and said you can't do this, this is a violation," said Town Manager Kevin Burke.
Burke says the one acre lot surrounded by mansions is zoned for a single family home, not livestock.
But when city officials relayed that to the alpaca owners, they got a response they weren't expecting.
"They said we were given permission by the code enforcement officer to have this many animals," said Burke.
Burke says that permission was never given.
But officials did extend an olive branch, saying to gradually remove the animals over a period of five months and avoid any legal issues.
"So we started receiving from her bill of sales that showed 'hey i just got rid of three here, ten here, six here'," said Burke.
However, neighbors came forward and said the number of alpacas was actually increasing, along with the stench and noise.
That led to another inspection by code enforcement.
"We thought we were starting at sixty and we were probably down somewhere in the 40s or 30s over this period of time and come to find out, no," said Burke.
So ABC15 went to find out why, the owners refused to open the door and again claimed the town gave them permission.
When we told them the town said that wasn't the case, they responded by saying they'll see them in court.
And that's where they'll be next Tuesday after receiving two citations from Paradise Valley Code Enforcement.
