Marwell Zoo not giving up search for capybara

6 hours ago

Sarah PingSouth of England

News image — Runaway capybara Samba has been spotted several times since escaping from Marwell Zoo earlier this month

Marwell Zoo Two capybaras in an enclosure pictured next to some straw bedding. — Runaway capybara Samba has been spotted several times since escaping from Marwell Zoo earlier this month

The search for Samba continues as Marwell Zoo vows not to give up on finding the missing capybara.

Nine-month-old Samba escaped the zoo, near Winchester, nearly two weeks ago, prompting huge search efforts involving thermal drones and a specialist sniffer dog.

Members of the local community and pupils from Twyford school have joined the ongoing search, which has been welcomed by Marwell.

The team said they would take long as they need to locate Samba, and have urged members of the public to continue logging any sightings.

Sarah Devine A slightly out-of-focus shot of Samba the capybara in the dark, illuminated fom the front by artifical light. — Samba was first spotted by people attending a pub quiz in Owslebury

Laura Read, CEO of Marwell Zoo, said: "We will always follow up on any public sighting. We still have that public number available. She won't evade everybody forever."

Read said the capybara's escape had striking similarities to an incident that occurred 30 years ago when two escaped capybaras were found along the same stretch of water at the centre of the current search.

"We're not giving up," she said. "When this happened 30 years ago, it took two months to locate and get them back.

"We're in it for the long haul. We've got a duty of care and we will exercise that."

Samba and her sister, Tango, arrived at the zoo on 16 March after being transferred from Suffolk, but both escaped the following day.

Tango, also nine months old, was found close to the zoo and was swiftly retrieved, but her sibling remains at large.

Missing Samba quickly became the talk of the village after she was first spotted in the nearby village of Owslebury on the evening of 17 March.

The escaped capybara was spotted by dog walker

Searches were conducted over the weekend, but to "no avail", the Marwell team said.

"We've been having drone searches all over the area where we know she's been and we've also had our specialist dog unit out again yesterday trying to track scent trails," Read said.

The team plans to expand its search with a focus on outhouses and stables in case the capybara has found shelter inside.

Three people are stood in a field. One of them, in an orange hi-viz vest, is holding controls to a drone that can be seen hovering in the air in front of him. — Thermal drones have been used to try to locate the missing capybara

With Easter just days away and the weather becoming brighter, Read hopes there will be more eyes on the ground to help in the search for missing Samba.

"We're about to head into the fishing season, so along that stretch of the Itchen there's a lot of fishing activity from April onwards, so there will be more eyes on the ground," she said.

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