Statement: Capybara Escape

On Monday we welcomed two lovely nine-month-old female capybaras, Samba and Tango, to Marwell from Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park in Ipswich. They were homed in a temporary area waiting to go through our standard new animal checks.

On Tuesday we discovered that Samba and Tango had escaped from this holding home. Tango didn’t stray too far, hiding in bushes in the zoo, and is now safely returned. Samba was more adventurous and our specialist teams have been looking for her relentlessly since then.

A member of the public from Owslebury, just over a mile from Marwell, reported seeing Samba last night on the side of the road near The Ship Inn pub, so we have been focusing on that area for our search.

Capybaras are lovely, intelligent animals, with a taste for adventure. They are gentle and do not pose any risk to people, pets or wildlife.

We would like to ask local people from Owslebury and other local villages to look out for Samba. Capybaras love water so please check gardens, ponds, rivers and local water environments where she may be hiding. She is also more likely to travel at night so please keep an eye out for her after sunset and be careful when driving.

Although we’re asking locals for help looking out for Samba, we would urge people from outside the area not to travel in to search for her.

Please don’t approach Samba or disturb the area around her as she may get stressed. It’s very important that only her keepers and the team from Marwell approach her.

If you believe you may have seen Samba, or if you do spot her, please contact us immediately on the Samba 24/7 hotline 07436 167401. Please send a photo with the location she was seen, using Google maps or What3Words.

We can confirm local authorities were informed in line with the conditions of our zoo license. As always, animal welfare is our highest priority, and our team are working hard to bring Samba home as quickly as possible.