Samba
Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Samba the capybara, who escaped from Marwell Zoo, is still at large, evading capture, and hopefully enjoying her freedom. She and her sister, Tango, both nine months old, were transported from a wildlife park in Suffolk. On March 17th, the day after they arrived in Hampshire, they both escaped. Tango was caught very quickly, but Samba is proving elusive.
Capybaras are the world’s largest rodents, and are best seen as giant guinea pigs, sharing the same docility and lack of aggression as their much smaller cousins. Adults reach an average length of 1.4 metres and a weight of around 60 kg. They are native to South America, apart from Chile. They are mainly predated on by jaguars, cougars, caimans, and anacondas, none of which they will encounter in UK.
They are semi-aquatic, with webbed feet, and are excellent swimmers, able to swim underwater for minutes at a time. They mate only in water and a female not desirous of a male’s attention, will either leave the water or submerge herself. Presumably, the male would also be able to submerge, so I can’t see how that would help. Maybe they have to keep their heads above water as they copulate.
They can also run at speeds up to thirty-five kilometres per hour for short periods.
However, Samba is one on her own, relishing the peace and tranquillity of the Hampshire countryside. Her putative keepers have used drones, sniffer dogs, and thermal imaging to track her, with limited success. They have subsequently sought and gained permission to bait humane traps with melon and banana for this gentle herbivore, foods which are unlikely to attract badgers or other carnivores.
Local residents have been asked to check their garden ponds, as capybaras are attracted to water. The last time two capybaras escaped from Marwell, around thirty years ago, it was two months before they were captured. They were found in the same area that Samba is in now, near the river Itchen. Staff from the zoo are patrolling the riverbank, but are prepared for a long period of searching.
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Capybara with young pups
I'm not sure whether to hope she's recaptured or left to roam free.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, but it would be a lonely life for an animal that likes to live with others of its kind.
DeleteThis story isn't over yet. We are cheering for the capybara.
ReplyDeleteSo are we. Hopefully, she'll steer clear of busy roads.
DeleteI do hope Samba will be found safe and well.
ReplyDeleteSo do I.
DeleteClever females :)
ReplyDeleteIndependent, certainly!
DeleteAwww what a story. She is such a cutie!
ReplyDeleteI think she's beautiful, but then, I have a soft spot for guinea pigs.
DeleteWherever she is I hope she is safe and enjoying her freedom.
ReplyDeleteI hope she manages to escape danger. At least there are no predators to threaten her. I don't think a fox would tackle her.
DeleteI hope Samba will be found and all will be well. A good story thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed. 🤞
DeleteStay well, Samba!
ReplyDeleteWe hope so.
DeleteGo, Samba, go!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised there aren't yet any Samba tee-shirts - perhaps there are and I haven't seen them.
DeleteA wonderful creature that I only learnt about when my flatmates moved in, although I know I must have seen them featured by David Attenborough. I hope Samba is happy and will soon be found.
ReplyDeleteDo let us know when Samba is found.
DeleteIt's not top news at the moment, but I keep looking, with no success.
DeleteI hope she is safe from any potential predators.
ReplyDeleteI don't think she's in any danger from foxes or badgers, but sometimes there are illegal traps. I hate to think she'd be caught in one of those.
DeleteIf a dog fox spots her, he'll be sure to have his wicked way.
DeleteHe'd have to catch her first. She's much bigger and heavier than a fox.
DeleteIt’s a large animal and can’t stay hidden forever. Someone is bound to see it sooner or later. Better it had been left in South America, where I have seen them.
ReplyDeleteShe has been seen, and videoed, but has slipped into the water to flee. I agree. I don't know why she and her sister have been captured. Capybara are not an endangered species.
Deleteshe is beautiful and I would love to see one of these. I too can't decide if I want her captured or left. leaning towards captured since she might not do well away from her natural environment.. keep us posted
ReplyDeleteCapybara are social animals, and my fear is that she would become lonely.
DeleteI hope it is safely found. I don't know in the winter time if it would survive your area. And it's never a good thing to introduce foreign wildlife or plants where they don't normally live.
ReplyDeleteI do agree. These animals have never been native to UK. The weather is warming now, so she won't get too cold.
DeleteI love the shape of their heads; almost box-like
ReplyDeleteThey are amazing, aren't they?
DeleteI hope she's safe wherever she is. They're kind of cute but do look a bit grumpy.
ReplyDeleteWe live in hope that she will soon be captured and returned to safety, poor creature.
ReplyDeleteSo cute!
ReplyDeleteShe is, isn't she?
ReplyDeleteLive the dream while you can, Samba
ReplyDeleteI just hope it doesn't turn into a nightmare.
DeleteIt's Rumspringa for Samba!
ReplyDeleteI had to look up Rumspringa. What a fascinating concept.
ReplyDeleteIf she's pregnant, we may soon have colonies of capybaras in the wild. As long as they are harmless, it would be a wonderful thing.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a bonus, but she's a little too young.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story! I hope Samba is having fun, though ultimately she will get bored on her own and will need to be with Tango.
ReplyDeleteShe's a social animal and needs company, so I hope she's soon reunited with her sister.
DeleteI hope she is captured soon so she can be reunited with Tango. Simba must be pretty lonely, even if she is enjoying her freedom.
ReplyDeleteI think she must be feeling quite odd.
DeleteSamba is indeed proving very elusive.
ReplyDeleteI hope she's doing okay wherever she may be.
All the best Jan
There's plenty for her to eat, so that's not a problem.
DeleteMakes me wonder how they escaped so quickly. I do hope that Samba is found soon..
ReplyDeleteThere have been no details of how the escape occurred, but it does seem quite careless!
DeleteCapybara are very cute animals. I saw them at a petting zoo years ago. I hope they find her. A red panda escaped from the Norfolk Zoo (Virginia) years ago and I don't think they ever found him. If they did it would have been after a year or so later. I will have to look that up.
ReplyDeleteRed pandas are quite small and hide very successfully in the tree tops. I wonder if it was ever captured, poor beast.
DeleteSamba is an odd name for a female capybara. I would have called her Deirdre or Gwen. Janice would be a great name for a female gerbil.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember what we called the gerbils our children had, or the mice.
DeleteHere in Germany, we're having our own animal story, and it's making it to the main news almost every night: A stranded whale in the Baltic Sea. Things were looking good for him for a while but now, after he was able to swim freely for a short stretch, he has once more landed on a sandbank, and because he's been weakened and very stressed, things are not looking good.
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad when whales are stranded. When they are freed and then make their way back, it seems as if they're making a choice. Poor beast.
ReplyDelete