Capybaras, Graham and Natalia, welcomed their first litter of four healthy little capybara pups at Woburn Safari Park last week.
Graham, a two-year-old male, joined the park in 2023 from Northumberland Zoo, joining existing female, five-year-old Nat as a new breeding pair. Female capybara can be aggressive to a potential mate, so keepers have worked patiently on introducing the couple, and are now delighted to announce the arrival of their first pups.
On Sunday, September 1, the team arrived to find four capybara pups already out and about in their enclosure with mum and dad keeping a watchful eye. The pups can often be seen cuddling close to mum as they suckle, and they’ll continue to rely on her until around 16 weeks when they will be fully weaned.
While the pups stay close to mum, one bold youngster has caught the attention of keepers for their adventurous spirit often venturing further away to explore their surroundings the other pups are slowly growing in confidence and are often coming up close to the keepers and showing their curiosity.
Graham, while initially keeping his distance, has shown great interest in the pups, and the little ones are becoming more curious about their dad, bravely approaching him from time to time. The keepers have a close eye on the family, conducting extra checks throughout the day to ensure everything is progressing smoothly.
Capybaras are the world’s largest rodents and are closely related to guinea pigs. Males can grow up to 65kg, with females often weighing even more. These fascinating creatures are semi-aquatic and have webbed toes that make them excellent swimmers. They can also hold their breath underwater for up to 5 minutes!
The capybara family is currently over at Alpaca Outpost, where visitors can alight from the Great Woburn Railway miniature train to visit throughout the day. They’ll soon be relocating to a new paddock in the Foot Safari.
