The everyday life of capybaras can be observed on the Riga Zoo (Rīgas ZOO) website, reported LETA agency, citing the head of marketing projects at the Riga Zoo, Roberta Treija.
Now everyone has the opportunity to follow the life of the capybara family — both the adult animals and the five pups currently in the enclosure.
The broadcast can be watched every day during lunchtime from 12:00 to 13:00, as well as from 15:00 to 8:00 the next morning.
At other times, the zoo staff clean the capybara enclosure. Since capybaras defecate frequently and everywhere, including their own pool, cleaning the facilities — changing the water and straw bedding — is required daily. Zoo specialists can perform this work without worrying about how they look on camera, Treija explained.
She emphasized that all five pups have already grown. Although they were born to two female capybaras, only one is nursing the young. According to Treija, in the wild, female capybaras collectively look after the offspring and care for the entire group. Thus, the female easily accepted the pup born in September.
Capybaras are the largest rodents in the world. Their teeth grow throughout their lives, allowing them to feed on tough plant material. Capybaras are excellent swimmers and spend a significant part of their day in the water, using it for both rest and protection, Treija explained.
In the wild, capybaras inhabit the marshy areas of South America, where it is warm year-round. They spend the winter in Latvia in areas not accessible to visitors.
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