Pablo, the capybara at Riverview Park and Zoo in Peterborough, has passed away.
The 10-year-old rodent recently began experiencing deteriorating health, according to a media release issued by the zoo on Wednesday morning (August 30), and was being monitored by the zoo’s animal health team.
Despite efforts by the zoo’s consulting veterinarian and animal health team to provide treatment and care, Pablo died on Tuesday morning “from complications arising from several age-related conditions.”
Pablo came to the Riverview Park and Zoo from the Toronto Zoo in 2015.
“With his friendly nature, Pablo was loved greatly by both our visitors and staff,” reads the media release. “We were very fortunate as Pablo had a long life with many years of good health … We would like to thank our staff and Dr. John Sallaway for their assistance with Pablo’s ongoing treatment and care. Pablo will be greatly missed by our community.”
Native to South America, the capybara is the largest rodent in the world at over a metre (39 inches) in length and weighing as much as an adult human.
A highly social species that lives in groups of 20 to 30 in the wild, the capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests and lives near bodies of water, with several adaptations for a partly aquatic lifestyle. The capybara can swim with only its nostrils, eyes, and short rounded ears protruding out of the water and is naturally buoyant.
