Drones on standby to help find missing giant rodent that escaped from Marwell Zoo
Drones are on standby to help find a missing giant rodent, known as a capybara, which escaped from Marwell Zoo.
The search for the capybara - which is the largest living rodent type in the world - is now into its fifth day.
Marwell’s new capybara, called Samba, arrived from Jimmy's Farm & Wildlife Park in Ipswich on Monday before escaping her temporary holding area on Tuesday (March 17) sparking a frantic search.
Her companion, Tango, also managed to escape but she was quickly retrieved by the team, who are still desperately trying to locate Samba.
It is thought Samba was spotted on Wednesday (March 18) in the village of Owslebury with the zoo saying they have received numerous sightings.
Laura Read, CEO of Marwell Zoo, said: “Our teams are continuing to work around the clock to find Samba and have received a large amount of information since yesterday. We’re investigating these sightings and following up on leads.
“At this stage, we still believe Samba remains in the vicinity of the zoo. We currently have two drones on standby. Once we can reduce the search area we will deploy them.
“We would still like to ask local people from Owslebury and other local villages to look out for Samba.
Capybaras love water so please check gardens, ponds, rivers and local water environments where she may be hiding. She is also more likely to travel at night so please keep an eye out for her after sunset and be careful when driving.
“Capybaras are gentle and do not pose a risk to people, pets or wildlife. But please don’t approach her or disturb the area around her as she may get stressed. It’s very important that only her keepers and the team from Marwell approach her. Thank you to everyone in our local community for your continued support.”
If you believe you may have seen Samba, or if you do spot her, contact Marwell immediately on the Samba 24/7 hotline 07436 167401. Please send a photo with the location she was seen, using Google maps or What3Words.