Costa Rican authorities chased an escaped vehicle on the Pacific coast highway in the country on May 22 and ultimately seized five capybaras along with cocaine and marijuana, arresting two suspects with criminal records onboard.
According to reports from the Associated Press, capybaras are large rodents native to South America and are closely related to guinea pigs. They are beloved for their cute and endearing appearance on social media. However, these semiaquatic animals are not native to Costa Rica.
The Public Security Ministry of Costa Rica stated that it is illegal to possess, transport, or traffic capybaras in the country. They mentioned that they had never before encountered this type of animal.
The Minister of Public Security, Mario Zamora Cordero, highlighted the significance of the police operation, indicating that the suspects were introducing both drugs and foreign species into the country.
The capybaras were handed over to the National System of Conservation Areas for assessment by veterinarians. Being an invasive species, they cannot be released in Costa Rica and will be sent to animal shelters in line with environmental and conservation education programs.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe in Poland, two capybaras recently made headlines after escaping from a zoo.
According to reports from the International News Agency, police in Gdańsk, Poland, posted on Facebook that they received a report on May 19 about two capybaras escaping from a small private zoo in the area.
The police and environmental department personnel went to the scene and found local residents attempting to capture the capybaras. The capybaras were “hiding in dense bushes, evidently enjoying a happy time outdoors.”
The two capybaras were eventually returned to the zoo.
In their post, the police wrote, “What prompted them to go out at night? Was the weather good? We may not know, but one thing we do know – capturing them was quite a challenge.”
Capybaras, as previously reported by Epoch Times, have an average lifespan of 7 years and can weigh between 77 to 143 pounds (35 to 65 kilograms). They are the largest rodents in the world.
Like other rodents, capybaras’ teeth continuously grow. As they wear their teeth down by eating grass, they also have a unique dietary habit of consuming their own feces in the morning because it is rich in protein. Their diet consists of tough grass that is difficult to digest, and by consuming their feces, they can digest it again.