World of the Bizarre

Escaped capybara gives search teams the runaround in England

By T.K. Randall
March 24, 2026 ·  25 comments

Image: Capybara in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Credit: Wilfredor / (PD) An unexpected creature is currently on the loose in the south of England, though it fortunately poses no threat to the general public.

The animal in question is a capybara - the world's largest living rodent - which hails from South America and tends to spend its time in and around bodies of water feeding on plants.

Two of the creatures had recently escaped Marwell Zoo, near Winchester, mere hours after arriving there from another wildlife park in Suffolk.

One of them was found very quickly, but the other remains on the loose a week on from the escape.According to their keepers, the animals need to be kept together because capybaras are social creatures, meaning that the longer they are apart, the worse things will be for them both.

The elusive rodent was last seen by a dog walker along a nearby riverbank.

Unfortunately, capybaras can run very quickly, making them pretty difficult to catch.

Efforts to track the animal down using thermal imaging remain ongoing.

Marwell Zoo's runaway capybara Samba has been spotted in Twyford, near Winchester

More: https://t.co/lzjnEqjIsy pic.twitter.com/8A9luM3SwW

- Daily Echo (@dailyecho) March 22, 2026

Source: BBC News | Comments (25)

Tags: Capybara