Rogue Capybara Evades Capture In Delightful Fashion
After Cinnamon the capybara escaped her enclosure at Hoo Zoo in Telford, England, she had been spotted roaming the surrounding area munching on grass. When she first went missing, her whereabouts were a mystery, but the giant rodent was spotted by a drone just 200 yards away from her home. Happily munching on grass, recapturing her was a challenge because of dense undergrowth. But after multiple failed attempts, Cinnamon has been reunited with her family in the zoo.
Cinnamon Evades Capture
The crafty capybara was first missed from the zoo on Friday, September 12, and was spotted just outside the fence the next day. From then until the following Tuesday, Cinnamon evaded rescuers, likely keeping out of sight in the dense underbrush surrounding the zoo. She was then identified by a drone equipped with infrared sensors, but her position in the overgrown brush has made her difficult to capture.
Between sightings, the search party identified fresh tracks as well as some capybara poop, indicating that she was alive and well in the area. Somehow, the giant rodent has proven to be more elusive than one might think, though.
The Escape
It is believed that the adventurous capybara escaped her enclosure by running through the gate when zookeepers entered to mow the grass. She hid out in the tall grass near where the tractor entered and darted around the crew as they entered. This is not the first escape attempt that Cinnamon has engaged in, but it has been the most successful.
Smart Rodents
Cinnamon lives at the Hoo Zoo with her twin brother, Churro, and her parents, Chimu and Chincha. The young twins are known for being mischievous and zookeepers say that the capybaras are smarter than most people realize. The family of capybaras are a beloved part of the zoo’s collection, delighting zoo-goers and capturing the hearts of locals.
Back With Her Family
While her position in the dense, grassy undergrowth made her difficult to capture, rescuers were able to lure Cinnamon to a safe trap on Saturday, reuniting her with her capybara family. The search party carried her back to her enclosure in a cage, and she was released to the company of her brother, whom she immediately snuggled up to. The rescuers were relieved that she was captured before she made her way to surrounding roads or a nearby military base.
Cinnamon missed her first birthday party while she was at large, so the zoo plans to throw her a belated birthday next month. Zoo worker Will Dorrel joked that the rogue capybara was perhaps just hung over from a birthday trip to the local pub. While her birthday jaunt in the wilds of Telford may have been exciting for the young capybara, her family as well as zoo staff, were happy to have her back.
A Threatened Species
Capybaras are related to guinea pigs and live in small groups near watering holes in Central and South America. They are currently at risk of becoming endangered by deforestation and habitat destruction, but their population is stable.
They have natural predators in Central and South America, but not in Telford, where Cinamon the capybara was free to munch on grass and hide out in the underbrush for over a week before she was recaptured.
Source: Hoo Zoo Facebook
