‘Bonnie and Clyde’ capybaras in the spotlight again, this time as parents
Posted March 23, 2017 8:43 am.
Last Updated March 23, 2017 6:43 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto’s famous capybara couple, who generated international headlines when they escaped from the High Park Zoo last summer, are now parents.
Mayor John Tory said the former fugitives, nicknamed Bonnie and Clyde, have had three capybara babies.
“Now we know what those capybaras were up to when they went off on an adventure,” Tory told 680 NEWS.
“They were off on a honeymoon I guess – that wasn’t even where they were married. It’s good news for us and it means we’re going to have a bigger population.”
The parents and their babies currently live at High Park Zoo.
On Thursday, there was a sign on their enclosure at the zoo warning that visitors may not be able to see the new arrivals. They could be staying inside due to the cold weather.
Capybaras are the world’s largest rodents. Fully grown, they can reach over four feet in height and can weigh as much as 140 pounds. They look like large guinea pigs. They enjoy swimming and don’t like children, of the human kind. The rodents are native to South America.
The babies have yet to be named as their gender won’t become clear for a few more months.
The city has even launched a baby registry to celebrate the arrival of the babies.
“Your donations will support the new capybara family and the entire community of animals at the zoo,” Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation said on its website.
