A “greatly loved and much missed” capybara that escaped from a zoo six days ago has been located in a field neighbouring her home.
Cinnamon escaped from Hoo Zoo in Telford on Friday 14 September when the gates of her enclosure were left open to cut the grass. After fleeing her habitat she managed to reach the zoo's perimeter fence and was spotted on a nearby road.
Thanks to "tireless efforts" from the zoo's staff and local volunteers (including a thermal drone operator), the zoo has managed to locate Cinnamon in a field and section of woodland right next to the zoo, less than 200m from her home.
“Despite efforts last night to recapture her she managed to hide in dense thicket and the decision was made to place down live traps rather than attempt to catch her by hand and cause further stress (or drive her further away),” a spokesperson for Hoo Zoo said.
“Live traps are essentially cages with an automatic door that cause no harm to the animal – they simply walk in to some food and the door will close behind - we hope that these will allow us to recapture Cinnamon without any further stress.”
The rescue attempt of Cinnamon has prompted huge interest as keepers plan a way of recapturing her. Staff at Hoo Zoo also stressed that while they’re appreciative of the public support and attention, they advise that recapturing the capybara is best left to trained experts.
"Cinnamon is very timid and any attempt to capture her by untrained individuals could result in driving her further away from her home - which we want to avoid, ”a spokesperson for Hoo Zoo said.
"Cinnamon is greatly loved and missed by her keepers who are continuing to give extra care to her parents and brother who remain at Hoo Zoo.”
What is a capybara?
Capybara are the world’s largest rodent, closely related to guinea pigs and rock cavies. About the size of a pig, they have short legs and an oblong body.
Native to South America, these semi-aquatic mammals have webbed feet and love chomping on grass and bark. They also eat their faeces – this is because the grass they eat is difficult to digest, so they need to give it another go!
