Francesca Capozzi A female Capybara has escaped from an English zoo on an adventure in search of freedom. Although she settled in a habitat not far from the structure and in a certain sense suitable for her needs, that freedom was not granted to her
@Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World/Facebook
A capybara named Cinnamon broke out of her enclosure and went on a week-long odyssey through the woods, fields, and ponds. It happened at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World, which is a small zoo in England run by a family.
The zoo management forthwith reported the escape to local authorities and shared a post on Facebook, informing visitors about the disappearance of their mascot. They asked all who ever sighted Cinnamon to report her location.
Cinnamon had managed to break loose from her habitat and was outside the zoo’s perimeter. The search for the capybara started during the weekend and became relentless in finding the rogue rodent.
Search around the clock
Officials at the zoo launched a day-and-night search for Cinnamon, peering over the surrounding neighborhood that she would find a good supply of food and shelter. They warned them under no circumstance should they catch Cinnamon.
Instead, they simply instructed the public to look out for her and report her exact location if spotted, in order to let the appropriate authorities recover her without any further complications. Other zookeepers made available their support through thermal drones to be deployed to help locate her.
A concerted scan of the surroundings finally provided results, as Cinnamon was found to be just about 650 feet away from her “home”. Ironically, despite all her adventure, she hadn’t strayed too far.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of our team last night along with a couple of local volunteers (including a thermal drone…
Posted by Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World on Wednesday, September 18, 2024
On another recent check, Cinnamon was still found to be in the same vicinity, and by analyzing the tracks, the experts told that she had slowly become comfortable in her new environment.
Safe return to the Zoo
The team at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World subsequently mapped out a plan for her retrieval. On 20 September, she was captured in the afternoon and transported to this zoo in a cage.
Of course, the adventure that did not take her very far from the only habitat she knew was to last only a week.
Cinnamon the Capybara captured the attention of audiences around the world this week after she escaped from her enclosure at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World, near Telford.Following a week of extensive searches throughout both day and night, a team of over a dozen experts assembled by the zoo managed to capture her on Friday afternoon, 20th September 2024.The successful capture of Cinnamon came after a sighting of her in a pond within the zoo’s woodland conservation area.Cinnamon has since returned to an enclosure with her twin brother, Churro, and is acclimatising to life back at the zoo. Expert keepers will continue to monitor her around the clock to ensure a seamless transition back to family life.The zoo also announced that Cinnamon will remain off show to the public this weekend as she re-familiarises herself with her usual surroundings.Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World owner, Will Dorrell said, “We’re absolutely delighted to have Cinnamon back at the zoo. We’ve been astounded at the public reaction to Cinnamon’s escape and are so grateful to everybody who has helped to return her safely to the zoo.”“Cinnamon will be spending some time with her brother in an off-show enclosure this weekend, but all being well we hope that Cinnamon will return to her usual paddock with the rest of her family next week. I know that there will be lots of people who will be very excited to see her, but nobody more so than her own Mum and Dad.”
Posted by Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World on Friday, September 20, 2024
Cinnamon, the one-year-old capybara, is now back in her enclosure, being reunited with her brother Churro. Still, the staff are continuing to monitor her to make sure she readjusts to life in captivity. She doesn’t have much of a choice, after all.
Source: Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World/Facebook
