Search for missing capybara now into seventh month
Winchester's Marwell Zoo is still encouraging sightings of the rodent to be reported
Marwell Zoo is still encouraging Winchester locals to look out for the missing capybara, Samba, six months after her escape.
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One-year-old Samba and her sister Tango escaped from the Hampshire facility in March, only one day after their arrival from Jimmy's Farm and Wildlife Park in Suffolk.
The pair broke through a small hole in their temporary enclosure to escape, but while Tango was quickly recaptured, Samba has still been on the run.
She has now been spotted a few times around the Hampshire area, with the most recent photograph having been taken in August, but all attempts to recapture her have failed.
"Our teams continue to carry out regular searches, focusing on areas where Samba is most likely to be, particularly along waterways and in dense vegetation," Marwell Zoo has said.
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"We have faced some challenges, unfortunately, last month two camera traps were stolen, impacting our ability to monitor key locations.
"We also believe that some reported sightings were muntjac deer, which are found locally, and can be easily mistaken for Samba due to her similar size and colouring."
The zoo added that Tango has been healthy in the zoo, although is likely to be missing its sibling as the world's largest rodents are sociable creatures.
Capybaras typically live up to 12 years in captivity but only around four to six in the wild due to the threat of predators. Despite them becoming popular social media material, they are not tame and are not pets.