Capybaras tend to wander off. A couple of zoos have discovered how easy it is to muff the transfer of incoming capybaras. Securing a capybara pen should be easy for these gigantic rodents but it can easily go sideways.

Currently, there is a capybara on the loose near Winchester, in England. Two female capybaras, Samba and Tango, arrived at Marwell Zoo on March 16, 2026, and promptly escaped the following day. Tango was still nearby and they quickly retrieved her. Seven weeks later and Samba is still on the lam.

There have been multiple sightings. Camera traps have been set up- and then stolen. Thermal drones are looking at all areas where sightings have been reported, focusing on waterways and dense vegetation. Now they are reduced to examining chewed vegetation for clues to Tango’s whereabouts.

Marwell Zoo has asked people to send photographs and precise locations if you see Samba. Their website features updates.

Another famous escape happened in Canada a decade ago. Bonnie and Clyde from the High Park Zoo in Toronto carefully timed their exit strategy and made a mad dash out shortly after a transfer to their new pen.

This was no doubt the inspiration for Samba and Tango to try the same strategy. One was caught a couple weeks later, but the other was walkabout over a month. Bonnie surprised everyone by coming home pregnant. They have settled into a quiet family life without incident, but still retain their notoriety.

In fact, to commemorate the High Park event, a new videogame called Capy Castaway will be coming out later this year. The preview is very cute!

There have been other escapes in England. Jack is the most famous one. Jack escaped the private zoo where he lived, more than once. What a scamp! He didn’t wait for someone to leave the gate unlatched, in fact they never figured out how he got out. I suspect he jumped the fence. They have been known to jump over four foot (1.25m) fences to get at the better grass on the other side. Alas, there will be no more escapes from Jack as the world famous capybara passed away in 2019.

Here is another escaped capybara in England. Not as famous as Jack, but giving it a good try.

Here is a suggestion to all of these zoos: double gating. While this didn’t help the High Park capybaras (because someone left both gates unlatched), for homeowners with pet capybaras, double gated access is strongly suggested. Dobby never escaped, but it curls my toes to think what a gun-happy American patriot might have done to him in defense of the nation from alien species. I made Dobby wear a harness in the front yard, where escape was more probable. Aliens do not typically wear dog harnesses.

Delivery people are notorious for leaving gates open. Melanie’s design allows deliveries to be placed on the picnic table without opening the second gate. Both gates are self closing and open in toward the secure area.

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This post was brought to you by Stacy’s Funny Farm, a non-profit pet sanctuary, and former home of Dobby the capybara. We hope you will be inspired to make a donation. We especially appreciate monthly giving- the PayPal portal offers that option. If you want to help but are short on cash, head over to Dobby’s YouTube channel. (Did you watch the Harness video here?) We’re monetized and those ads pay out nicely, so please watch, share, and subscribe.

Stacy’s Funny Farm is a §501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/bite-marks-clue-in-search-for-escaped-capybara/ar-AA22FM7t