The Abilene Zoo Proudly Welcomes 5 Adorable Capybara Babies

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The Abilene Zoo is proud to present the birth of five capybara pups born on July 7th around 11:00 AM. These five baby capybaras were born to mother Daisy making this her second time having a litter at the Abilene Zoo.

Abilene Zoo Supervisor of Conservation, Clay Carabajal said, “This year we have welcomed so many new members to our family. This shows that the animals of the Abilene Zoo are healthy and thriving. Allowing generations to come and be inspired to conserve animals and the wild places where they live all over the planet.”

Clay says the newest members of the Abilene Zoo family were born on exhibit and can be seen on display at the zoo now (as seen in the video below). There were nine capybaras that were born at the Abilene zoo back in September of 2021.

The capybara is a giant cavy rodent. Yep, but it's the cutest overgrown rodent you'll ever see, and just watching them makes one want a capybara for a pet. These adorable creatures are native to the South American region.

If you thought that beavers were the biggest rodents you've ever seen, think again. The Capybaras or Hydrochaeris is the largest rodent measuring up to 4 and a half feet long, about 2 and a half feet high, and can weigh upwards of 170 pounds.

The capibara mom is pregnant for about five to six months and the pups each weigh anywhere from 3 to 4 pounds at birth. The only other member still in existence is the lesser capybara and it's a bit smaller.

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While the Abilene Zoo was founded in 1966 it has been growing ever since thanks to a partnership between the City of Abilene and the Abilene Zoological Society, both are working to save wildlife and protect the wild places where they live according to Carabajal.

This West Texas Zoo sees 129 school districts from over 51 Texas counties in addition to over a quarter of a million guests each year. To learn more, visit abilenezoo.org and become an annual member today.

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