Another baby boom in Feldman Ecopark – three capybara kids were born. The newborns stay with their relatives (couple of parents and one more female) in the open enclosure next to another favorite of visitors – a tapir Dalma. According to Svitlana Vyshnevetska, the head of the sector Rodents and Terrarium of Feldman Ecopark, kids are healthy and feel great.
“Mother stays with newborns all the time – feeds, licks, keeps a close watch on them. The second female helps her with it, and the father doesn’t take direct part in upbringing. As a solid head of family, the father carries out distant management. Such behavior is a consistent feature of these social rodents living in groups where one male dominates — Svitlana Vyshnevetska told. – Capybaras are born almost fully developed – with open eyes and natal teeth. Cubs eat maternal milk, but soon they start eating vegetable food – the name of this species is translated from language of Indians as “the grass eater” for a reason. Moreover, we’ve already feed our newborns with fresh leaves of young salad. Kids grow quickly, any day they will walk in the exposition enclosure with all family. The guests to Feldman Ecopark will be able to admire capybaras, also known as water pigs here”.
It should be noted that capybaras are the largest rodents in the world. Their homeland is South America, habitat – the banks of water bodies. There are various internet legends about their ability to be on friendly terms with a wide range of animals. The British naturalist Gerald Durrell was the best to describe capybara: “phlegmatic good-natured vegetarian with quiet and friendly temper. It has a very aristocratic appearance, thanks to mellow condescending expression of muzzle giving similarity to a thoughtful lion”. For the moment, six capybaras live in Feldman Ecopark.
It should be reminded that at the end of spring, bobak marmots were born in Feldman Ecopark, and more recently, stork nestlings hatched at the Swan Lake. Besides, it should be reminded that the Feldman Ecopark’s animal collection comprises more than 2,000 animals of nearly 300 species.
