A lawn house: how capybaras live in Moscow Zoo

A Moscow Zoo enclosure on a large green lawn is home to six capybaras, namely, mother Malaya (‘poppet’ in Russian), father Kuzma and four cubs, two of them are babies as they were born early this summer. It is still too early to determine their sex, but visitors already admire their abilities. Like all rodents, these animals are born with fur and open eyes, can walk, and they learn to swim and try whole food after a couple of days after birth. Today, the baby capybaras do not leave their parents who give them care and affection.

Here is an account of how the Earth’s largest rodents spend their days, what activities they like and what they can learn from each other.

Excellent parents

The capybaras live in the very heart of the zoo, opposite the Great Presnensky Pond where red-feathered ducks splash noisily in the mornings. You can get to them by turning right from the main entrance, the large clearing and groups of visitors who are standing in line along the fence as your reference; after all, the capybara house is one of the favorite places among zoogoers.

“Such attendance is due to the fact these animals are getting increasingly popular on the Internet. We, as experts, have no idea of what may be the reason for the attention. Maybe it is because capybaras are very remarkable. They are the largest rodents on the planet and they are also very social animals. In the wild, they live in groups, and as a friendly family in our zoo,” says Sergei Khlyupin, Head of the Moscow Zoo Science Department.

We arrived to visit Moscow's capybaras almost at lunchtime. The lawn was lit by summer sun, and the animals came out into the center for sunbathing. The enthusiastic visitors were taking photos of the adult capybaras and two cubs who were keeping close to their parents, copying their every movement — walking, sitting and even lying exactly like them. Meanwhile, the older cubs of Kuzma and Malaya — females named Scarlett and Lapochka (‘Sweetie’) — valued personal space like real teenagers, one them spending time in the shade of trees outside, the other in the indoor enclosure. Scarlett and Lapochka are the second and third litter cubs, respectively, and are now just over one year old. Visually, they are already larger than the babies, but still smaller than adult capybaras.

After enjoying some time alone, Scarlett and Lapochka join the family and settle in comfortably next to the babies. The parents are happy, indeed; they, as is typical of capybaras, care for all their young until they are old enough to have their own offspring.

“Kuzma and Malaya are excellent parents. They share all the chores equally; together they look after, teach, and protect their cubs. While Malaya is feeding the babies, Kuzma makes sure that no one disturbs them. “In this regard, he is very responsible, a real family man,” says Khlyupin.

The zoo keepers take care of the baby capybaras, too, as they often examine and weigh the cubs, monitoring their growth and development. The babies who were born in June are the fourth offspring of Kuzma and Malaya. After zoologists determine their sex, females are left to live with their parents, while male capybaras are taken to other zoos, because there can only be one leader in a capybara group. That is why sons of Kuzma and Malaya leave to start their own families somewhere else.

Healthy diet and swimming feats

In the wild, capybaras live for about eight years; in zoos they live longer – almost 12 years. The key to longevity is an active lifestyle and proper nutrition. Capybaras enjoy swimming the most. Their homeland is Central and South America, where they dwell by river banks and spend much time in the water. Their body is perfectly adapted for swimming as they have eyes, ears and nostrils on the top of the head and special membranes on the paws. The animals can also hold their breath for a long time.

“The family of Moscow’s capybaras has their own pond for swimming; it is almost a river, with varying depths and levels arranged around the lawn. They can also bathe in the indoor enclosure, where there is a pool for the animals,” said Sergei Khlyupin.

Capybaras can rest and dry off after swimming in the clearing, and there is also space for rest in the covered enclosure, where the capybaras stay during the cold season. For the comfort of capybaras, keepers maintain a certain temperature of approximately 24 degrees Celsius inside, monitoring humidity to make sure it is 60 to 70 per cent. In addition, the heat-loving capybaras get warm with their personal ‘sun’ in winter as keepers use ultraviolet and infrared lamps inside the enclosure to provide the animals with sufficient light.

The capybaras' diet is also closely monitored. Capybaras are herbivores, so they prefer vegetation for breakfast, lunch and dinner. “Their diet includes leaves, branches and pegs of various tree species. We also give them special compound feed. Capybaras also love lettuces, fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, apples, pumpkin and corn. Cubs drink their mother’s milk for up to four months, but they also try a variety of foods,” says Sergei Khlyupin.

The capybaras always have access to food as there is grass and young trees growing on the lawn; so they often host their neighbors — the vicuña, llama, and guanaco — who come to dine with them.

A target ball and favorite corn

Four keepers take turns looking after the capybaras, bringing them food, cleaning the enclosure and giving special training sessions.

“It is something like training, but without special demands. If an animal does not follow commands, we do not force it to do anything. The main task is to teach it not to be afraid of vets and to be ready for procedures and examinations. For example, giving a paw or turning the head,” says Moscow Zoo keeper Alexey Borisov.

The capybaras take half an hour classes five times a week and really enjoy them. The keeper enters the enclosure and carries a bright plastic ball on a stick, which acts as a target. A capybara follows the stick and is rewarded with a piece of corn. And it should not touch the ball itself; it serves as a reference point for it,” he explains.

Using the target, you can bring a capybara into the enclosure, place it on the scales or take it to the veterinarian. For example, a couple of weeks ago, when playing a harmless game, the cubs touched their mother’s skin with their teeth and left a small scratch. To treat it, the keepers called Malaya using the familiar yellow ball and, of course, her favorite corn.

The capybaras trust the keepers and are willing to be trained, and they do not feel shy in front of visitors and often pose intentionally so that zoogoers can take the best photos.