Meet Samba: The 9-month-old capybara on the run after escaping an England zoo

There is something both incredibly stressful and strangely cinematic about the massive search currently unfolding in the English countryside. A nine-month-old capybara named Samba has been out in the wild for over a week now, and her story has turned the local Winchester community into a group of amateur wildlife trackers.The whole drama started just a day after Samba arrived at Marwell Zoo from Suffolk. She wasn't alone; she moved in with her companion, Tango, and the two of them were being kept in a temporary enclosure while the vets did their standard health checks. But it seems these two had other plans. Last Tuesday, keepers realized the enclosure was empty.Tango didn’t actually make it very far - she was found relatively quickly, hiding out in some bushes within the zoo grounds. Samba, however, lived up to her name and decided she wanted to see more of the world. She managed to slip past the zoo’s perimeter, sparking a search operation that has grown more intense by the day.The search teams have had a few heart-stopping moments. The first major break came from a member of the public who spotted Samba near a roadside by a local pub in Owslebury, which is just about two kilometers from the zoo. Since then, there have been a handful of confirmed sightings - with photo and video evidence to back them up - showing that she is likely hunkering down in a specific area.Zookeepers have been out "around the clock," as they put it, using thermal drones and specialist sniffer dogs to try and pinpoint her location. Just recently, a dog walker caught a video of her by the River Itchen, but their dog accidentally spooked her, and she swam off into the water. It’s a frustrating game of cat and mouse (or, rather, keeper and giant rodent).If you aren't familiar with capybaras, they are essentially the world’s largest rodents - some people call them "giant guinea pigs." They can grow up to 1.5 meters long and are native to the wetlands and grasslands of South America.What makes Samba particularly hard to catch is that she is a master swimmer. Capybaras have webbed feet and a very specific facial structure - their eyes, ears, and nostrils are all high up on their heads. This means she can stay almost entirely submerged, staying hidden in the reeds or waterways with just the top of her head breaking the surface.The zoo is now deploying humane traps, hoping to tempt her with some of her favorite treats (like melon) to get her to stay put. While they've reassured everyone that she isn't a threat to people or pets, they are pleading with the public not to approach her. Samba is likely very stressed, and if people try to "rescue" her themselves, she’ll just flee further into the brush.For now, the team is keeping everything crossed. They know she’s safe from natural predators in the UK, but the biggest worry is the nearby roads. Everyone is just hoping that this adventurous nine-month-old decides she’s had enough of the "wild life" and heads toward one of those traps for a safe ride home.Image: Representational