Fears fugitive capybara could stray onto military land and never be retrieved

Cinnamon, the fugitive capybara who escaped from her habitat nearly a week ago, is ‘comfortable and happy’ in a patch of growth bordering MOD land, her keepers have said.

Cinnamon weaseled out of her enclosure at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World on Friday and was finally located yesterday with the help of a thermal drone.

The zoo has now said due to the ‘impenetrable’ undergrowth near where Cinnamon has set up her new home, they have paused their recapturing efforts.

They said: ‘We have been in lengthy discussions with wildlife capture professionals and all of us are concerned that continued disturbance of where Cinnamon is living could cause her to relocate to an area that could be dangerous.

‘We are also bordered by the Ministry of Defence, and there are concerns that if she moves into that area we may not be able to retrieve her.’

Metro has reached out to the MOD.

The zoo previously said Cinnamon was ‘living her best life’ with plenty of food and areas to rest.

‘At present she is comfortable, content, not short on food and not at risk to predators so it’s better that we take our time and recapture Cinnamon with the least amount of stress possible,’ they added.

‘We have placed multiple live traps in that area and will be checking these multiple times a day but won’t be conducting any further mass searches until Friday night unless the situation changes.’

There are worries that if she moves onto the MOD land, she may not be able to be retrieved.

In the meantime, she seems unbothered.

Will Dorrell, the zoo’s owner, said yesterday: ‘When we saw her on the drone she was looking very good, she was sat there very happily munching on grass.’

Capybaras are a giant rodent native to South America. They’re considered very social animals and rely on each other for their well-being.

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