1 down, 1 to go: Runaway capybara caught by Toronto Wildlife Centre
Wildlife workers used corn to lure the giant rodent
The adventure has come to an end for one of Toronto High Park Zoo's runaway capybaras which was captured Sunday evening by the city's wildlife centre.
A pair of dog-sized rodents, one male and one female, had been roaming the west-end park since they escaped during a transfer at the park's petting zoo on May 24.
- Team Capybara hunts for furry fugitives in High Park
- How a couple of capybaras escaped High Park Zoo, leaving a lone male behind
The capture was witnessed by Emma Renda, who was out for a run in the park. She said Toronto Wildlife Centre workers caught the animal around 7 p.m., close to a pond towards the southeast corner of the 160-hectare park.
"The team had set up a trap and put some corn in it," Renda said. "We heard a fence closing. All of a sudden they realized they caught it. Some of the team was high-fiving. It was really exciting."
It was not yet known if the capybara caught was the male or the female.
Sightings of the furry fugitives — dubbed Bonnie and Clyde by those following their escape — had increased in recent days.
"I'm sure the wilderness team is really happy," Renda said. "It's good to know it's going to a place it'll be taken care of."
A CBC News camera captured one of the capybaras in a forested area at the southeast corner of the park on Friday morning, where the rodent proceeded to go for a swim in a pond.
The capybara couple garnered national attention with their escape. A group of volunteers dedicated to their capture have remained on the hunt for the animals.
According to Renda, who spoke with some of the workers at High Park, members of the staff and volunteers had been searching for the furry rodents on their days off as well.
The other capybara remains on the run.
Coun. Sarah Doucette, whose Parkdale-High Park ward is home to the capybaras, shared a photo of the team who carried out the capture mission.
"It is resting off site for now," Doucette said, adding that the capybara will go back to the enclosure at the zoo eventually.
