Three capybaras at Suncoast Humane Society in Englewood have done some serious growing. Jane, Betty and Tippi arrived at roughly 17 pounds each and now weigh between 81 and 106 pounds, all in a little over a year. They’re the world’s largest rodents, and they’ve got the room to prove it: three and a half acres and a one-acre pond, where they swim almost entirely underwater.
Their path here started in North Carolina, where a roadside petting zoo closed and a wildlife rescue took in their mother. The pups eventually landed on the Suncoast, and the public named them after Jane Goodall, Betty White and Tippi Hedren. Allie Lingenfelter, who runs the shelter’s human-animal bond programs, says the capys often figure out things before the humans do, and Jane is usually the one leading the charge.
The trio works as animal ambassadors for humane education, and private Capy sessions start at $99, with the fees funding the shelter’s dogs and cats. It’s a rescue story with a practical payoff for the rest of the animals in Englewood. Would you book a session with a capybara? Let us know on our Facebook page.
