I ’ ve always found myself drawn towards the company of animals . Indeed , their furry , scaly or feathery embrace is oft preferred over that of my human counterparts – so as you can imagine , I was head over heels when I made friends with a special inhabitant of South America , and more specifically , the Rupununi – the capybara .
Article & Photos Mikaila Prince
I spent a few days , back in February , entangled with a small herd of capybaras at the stunning Wichabai Ranch in the South Rupununi . The ranch ’ s owners are piloting a project where they ’ ve erected an eighthectare fence around a pond where the capybaras can lounge . The goal of the project ? To source capybaras from surrounding villages to support breeding .
Already , the project boasts eight capybaras , with more on the way . During the trip , I foud myself particularly fond of the capybara I ’ ve deemed the star of the herd , Hydra . The largest in the group , Hydra , weighed about 65 pounds ; stats show that they can grow to roughly 143 pounds . She was certainly very social , given that she performed an act I found equally amusing and unsettling ; when I reached out to pet her , she extended her head to suckle on my thumb . I imagine she found the sensation comforting , I suppose in the same way cats find sucking or kneading on fabrics relaxing .
I instantly observed how smart of an animal she was too ; when a group of us took a trip to the pond about 500 meters from the ranch , she confidently led the way . And when we arrived and I gave her my index finger to suck , she showed her disapproval , wanting only my thumb . This got me thinking : are capybaras usually this intelligent ? The simple answer – yes .
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