A giant rodent that escaped from a zoo was captured today after a week on the loose.
Cinnamon the capybara escaped through an open gate of her enclosure at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World into an adjacent forest.
The one-year-old dog was found this afternoon in a pond near Telford Zoo, Shropshire, and a search team spent an hour working to get her out of the water and into a cage.
Cinnamon escaped last Friday when keepers entered the capybara enclosure to trim the grass, as she was hiding in the tall grass near the gate, Dorrell said.
Native to South America, capybaras are the largest rodents in the world. They are semi-aquatic and adults can grow up to 1.30 m long, 60 cm high and weigh between 25 and 40 kilos.
Cinnamon the capybara escaped last Friday when keepers entered the enclosure to cut the grass, as she was hiding in the tall grass near the gate.
Baby Canela and Churro photographed at the zoo with their mother.
Zookeepers worked through the night to find the animal after a thermal drone spotted it just 200 metres from its enclosure on Tuesday.
When the gate opened, she slid down the side of a tractor to exit the compound.
She had been spotted in a field next to the zoo on Tuesday night, but retreated into impenetrable undergrowth when zoo staff approached.
Efforts to recover the capybara were suspended until yesterday to prevent the animal from becoming too stressed.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have Cinnamon back at the zoo,” said owner Will Dorrell.
“I know there will be a lot of people who will be very excited to see her, but no one more so than her own mom and dad,” he said.
‘We are amazed by the public’s reaction to Cinnamon’s escape and are very grateful to everyone who helped return her safely to the zoo.’
Cinnamon was returned to an enclosure with her twin brother, Churro, and the zoo said she was acclimating to life at the zoo again.
Staff said they will monitor her over the weekend, with a view to returning her to the capybara paddock next week.
Zoo owner Will Dorrell previously told the BBC that Cinnamon was “probably living his best life” in the marshes and rivers in front of the zoo, which were a sort of natural habitat for the animal and he was not at risk of being attacked by predators.
The rodent weighs 30 kilos and is the size of a large spaniel.
Drone footage captured Cinnamon fleeing the zoo
A young Cinnamon photographed at Hoo Zoo, where she lives with her parents and brother.
Cinnamon, pictured with her brother Churro, escaped from her habitat at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Telford on Friday.
Capybaras can hold their breath for up to five minutes and run up to 30 km/h.
Capybaras are the largest rodent species in the world and look like giant guinea pigs.
They live in savannas and dense forests near bodies of water. They are a social species, often found in groups of a dozen or more, and sometimes as many as 100.
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