Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Telford is currently searching for a capybara that escaped four days ago, with hopes that it has made it to a nearby river. Cinnamon, who was born at the zoo and is now around one year old, fled her habitat on Friday and entered woodlands in the zoo grounds. The last sighting of her was on Saturday, and it is thought that she has now made it to the Humber Brook river, near the attraction’s northern boundary. As capybaras are skilled swimmers that live on riverbanks, a search is being conducted in and around the water. While Cinnamon is not thought to be in imminent danger, the zoo is keen to bring her back to her family.
Capybaras, which are native to South America, are the largest living rodents in the world. Zoo owner Will Dorrell said Cinnamon’s parents and twin brother are still at the zoo and he thinks they are sticking together despite Cinnamon’s absence. For their protection, the public have been urged to report sightings of Cinnamon but not to approach her, as she is likely to be timid. It is feared that attempting to do so may scare the animal and drive her further away. Dorrell said the zoo is working “around the clock” to find the missing capybara and thanked volunteers for their support, adding that someone was due to bring a thermal drone to help with the search.
However, while there have been no confirmed sightings since Saturday, with Cinnamon last seen on Humber Lane, Dorrell said he believes Cinnamon is not at imminent risk as she is very likely to be able to find plenty of food and shelter where she is. Given the current cold spell, he acknowledged that she would prefer warmer weather, but he said that locally, there are many places where she can survive the colder conditions.
In the meantime, the search continues and everyone is hopeful that Cinnamon will be found and brought back to the zoo to rejoin her family
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