Ripple the Capybara (2012-2024)

Ripple, a 12-year-old capybara, died at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium following a cancer diagnosis and a decline in her health. Ripple was transferred to the zoo in 2017 and held alone. Capybaras are highly social animals who live in stable social groups of six to sixteen adults. The zoo stated that Ripple did not like other capybaras.

Capybaras are the largest rodents on the planet, weighing 77 to 143 pounds. The next largest rodent, the beaver, only reaches 35 to 65 pounds. Capybaras are semiaquatic and live in tropical and subtropical South America (though a group of capybaras has taken up residence in Florida after escaping a research facility in the 1990s). Capybaras love to swim, and their bodies are adapted to live around the water. They have partially webbed toes, and their eyes, nose, and ears are positioned high on their head so they can stay alert while submerged.

Capybaras’ charming faces and personalities have made them popular on social media. Unfortunately, their popularity has also increased their exploitation. Capybaras are frequently used in interactions in cafes and zoos worldwide, including in the US. Facilities sell “encounters” with capybaras, sometimes even claiming their business supports conservation efforts. Capybaras are wild animals. Forcing them to interact with humans is cruel and causes stress. Loud noises and sudden movements are frightening to capybaras, who are prey animals. Yet capybaras are common at petting zoos geared toward children. Interactions can also be dangerous for both capybaras and people.

Even if capybaras are not used in interactions, life in a zoo is far removed from what they would enjoy in the wild. Instead of a rainforest environment with marshes and rivers, capybaras are kept in small enclosures with fake concrete or plastic water features. World Animal Protection urges everyone who loves capybaras to avoid zoos and enjoy them in the wild or at accredited sanctuaries.