FROM GABRIELLE JANSEN
Montgomery Zoo
MONTGOMERY ZOO (Montgomery, AL): The Montgomery Zoo Animal Care team joyfully announces the birth of one female and six male Capybara pups. Belle (mother) gave birth to boys Antonio, Bruno, and Felix, and girl Mirabel, all named after characters from the movie Encanto, on July 26. Jasmine (mother) gave birth to boys Han, Chewy, and Luke, named after Star Wars characters, on July 31.
Male Capybara Ocho is a first-time father for the litters and this is Belle’s and Jasmine’s third litters each. Ocho was recommended to the zoo through the Capybara Species Survival Program.
The SSP is an animal conservation program created exclusively by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to better manage animals in captivity, from recommending breeding to companionship, for zoos. Ocho transferred from the Alexandria Zoo in Louisiana.
The Capybara pups are precocious and are already able to follow their moms, swim, run, and play very quickly after birth. The pups have been tagged with colorful stripes to make them easier to distinguish.
Successful litters are not common among zoos, however the Montgomery Zoo has had great success since housing this species, according to Animal Care Manager Andi Clason.
“The Animal Care Department is thrilled to announce the arrival of 7 healthy capybara pups,” Clason said. “The species can prove difficult to pair up into successful breeding groups, however we have been lucky to have continued success with the recommendations our girls have received from the SSP.”
Capybaras are classified as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and are the world’s largest rodents. Capybara’s closest relative is a Guinea Pig.
Capybara gestation can be up to 120 days and litter sizes range from one to seven pups. Capybara pups are naturally weaned at 16 weeks and will leave their parents around one year old to form their own groups in their native habitats.
The zoo’s pups will be transferred to other zoological facilities when they reach sexual maturity around one and a half years old.
The Montgomery Zoo and Mann Wildlife Learning Museum is a 42-acre zoological facility located minutes from the heart of historic, downtown Montgomery. The Montgomery Zoo features a variety of exotic animals native to Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, and South America. A trademark addition of the Zoo is the Mann Wildlife Learning Museum, housing the one of the Southeast’s largest collections of preserved North American wildlife, artifacts, and fossils.
Daily operating hours: 9am – 5pm, with last admission at 4pm.
Admission: Adults $18, Children (3-12 years) $14, Toddlers (2 years and under) FREE, and Seniors 65 years old and older $16.
