Strange Animal Parade Spotted Marching Two-by-Two Near Kettle Falls

If you were driving along US-395 just north of Kettle Falls this week and thought you stumbled into a low-budget reboot of Noah’s Ark, you’re not alone.

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The Washington State Department of Transportation East (WSDOT East) had a little fun on social media, posting a photo of a strange caravan of animals making their way along the highway.

Like a Scene from the Bible in Kettle Falls, Washington

The WSDOT East post joked, “I know we got some rain yesterday, but I don't think it was enough to warrant an ark.” The post was describing the strange scene people in the area had reported seeing, “just north of the SR 20 interchange near the Columbia Cedar Inc.”

It really did look like animals were marching two by two as described in the bible, seemingly without any help or guidance from humans. From the images, I can see sheep, goats, cattle, llamas, and even camels. Yes, I said camels.

While WSDOT East kept the jokes rolling (including a fun pun from WSDOT Tacoma about the animals singing "alpacapella"), people wanted to know what was really going on.

Trail Cam Tells the Truth About the Animal March

One user chimed in with a trail cam photo of the herd and correctly guessed the location. That added some credibility to the animal sighting, but it was another comment that might have solved the mystery.

According to another user, the animals belong to a group that travels seasonally to summer meadows. They are not from a rogue zoo escape or wandering circus. It is an organized trek of shepherds, their dogs, and an impressively diverse crew of animals, including goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas, camels, and even yaks! (The yaks are what I thought were cattle in the pictures.)

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The animal group works with cooperation from Stevens County landowners and stops overnight in planned designated pastures during their journey. It's a blend of traditional and modern road-sharing, and a reminder that not everything unusual on the highway is cause for alarm.

Sometimes, it is just the old-fashioned ways that most people have forgotten.

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