Capybara Attacked by Hippo Dies at Zoo

My Earthlink.net & AP ^ | August 17, 2007 | Unknown

[decimon]

GULF BREEZE, Fla. - A Capybara at a Florida Panhandle zoo died after it was attacked by an adult hippopotamus, zoo officials said Thursday.

The Capybara, a large aquatic rodent, died last week at The Zoo Northwest Florida, just a month after a baby hippo was fatally attacked by an adult hippo. It is not known if the same hippo killed the Capybara last week because no one witnessed the animal's death, the zoo's veterinarian Dr. Gus Mueller said.

The adult hippo bit the Capybara, causing severe injuries to its rear end and stomach areas, Mueller said.

"It was a terrible, terrible wound," Mueller said. "But that's what hippos do."

Also in July, an adult giraffe died after sustaining a neck injury at the zoo. The Capybara, called Capy, is the seventh death at the zoo since January.

The Zoo Northwest Florida also has reported financial problems recently. Besides the deaths of several popular animals, the zoo faces a $3 million debt exacerbated by back-to-back hurricanes.

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Information from: Northwest Florida Daily News, http://www.nwfdailynews.com

[LilAngel]

No, they should replace it with something I can spell.

Anybody have a picture of the poor critter? A before picture, if you please.

[decimon]

One would wonder why you would have an animal from South America in an enclosure with an animal from Africa, anyway.

You've never heard of multiculturalism? Geez! :-)

[USNBandit]

diversity is our strength....”CHOMP!”

[festus]

They were promoting diversity, tolerence and understanding.

With the usual results.............

[PAR35]

Imagine a short haired guniea pig that weighs around 100 pounds. From Wikipedia: “The flesh is described as tasting like pork and has a similar whitish appearance.”

Pictures and more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capybara

[Cvengr]

"....an adult giraffe died after sustaining a neck injury at the zoo..."

Pesky monkeys next door must've been tossing their banana peels into the giraffe lot again.....

[MarkL]

I think that it's not what they're saying... I think that with all the suspicious deaths at the zoo, there's a Chupacabra there. That's right, the Chupacabra bit the Cappyberra!

Mark