AN ESCAPED capybara remains at large as residents in Hampshire are urged to check their ponds for the rodent on the loose.
Sniffer dogs have been deployed after Samba, a nine-month-old Capybara, busted out of Marwell Zoo on Tuesday.
The large rodent broke out of her temporary enclosure with her sister and cellmate Tango, a day after they arrived at the zoo.
Tango was quickly recovered after she was found in some bushes close to the zoo.
Meanwhile the “more adventurous” Samba has evaded capture once more as she was seen diving into the River Itchen, near Winchester, just after 11am on Sunday morning.
Claudie Paddick, 42, filmed Samba sitting on the river bank but the capybara was spooked by a dog barking and jumped into the water.
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The furry fugitive was previously spotted almost three miles from the zoo near a pub in Owslebury. There have even been reported sightings of Samba 35 miles away in Stonehenge.
A specialist dog unit has now found Samba’s scent and the zookeepers said they have narrowed down the search area and deployed thermal drones.
The zoo has urged locals to check their gardens, ponds and rivers in case they are harbouring the South American rodent.
Laura Read, the chief executive of Marwell Zoo explained that the animals love water.
She added that – like many escapees – Samba “is also more likely to travel at night, so please keep an eye out for her after sunset and be careful when driving.”
Claudie, a family lawyer, was walking her dogs when she spotted the capybara.
She said: “I was taking the dogs along the river bank and noticed something that I thought was a beaver.
“Then I thought it was an injured deer. It then jumped in the river and it didn’t come back out and I was like, what the hell is that?
“When I sent the video to my neighbour they said it is a capybara, and they called Marwell Zoo right away.”
The zoo’s 15 searchers scrambled to the scene with thermal imaging cameras but Samba managed to slip away.
The mother of two added: “We see lots of animals when we go walking down the river but never a rodent from the Amazon.
“Marwell Zoo was really happy that it looked happy and not too stressed and they then sent a team down and they probably have around 15 people now.
“I am absolutely going to go and visit her if and when she is taken back to Marwell Zoo. I might go out with my children later to look for her but it has been a lot of excitement for one day.”
Capybaras are the world’s biggest rodent and are semi-aquatic – meaning they spend a large portion of their lives in and around water.
Often compared to guinea pigs, the mammals are known to be friendly and curious creatures.
The sisters arrived from Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park near Ipswich and were in a temporary enclosure before going on public display.
Marwell Zoo hopes the continued sightings allow them to reduce the search area and track Samba with thermal drones.
It reminded the public that animal welfare is their “highest priority” and that they are “working hard to bring Samba back as quickly and safely as possible”.
Should any member of the public see her, they have been urged not to approach the animal and contact the zoo’s 24 hour hotline on 07436167401.