A CAPYBARA escaped from its enclosure at Jersey Zoo this morning but has been safely returned by staff, a spokesperson has confirmed.
The incident led to the zoo remaining closed for part of the morning before reopening at around 11.30am.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: “Jersey Zoo can confirm that a capybara escaped from it’s enclosure, but was quickly located within the zoo grounds. The mammal team have safely returned him to his enclosure.
“The zoo opened at approximately 11.30am and the team at Durrell would like to thank visitors and members for their patience this morning.
“The escapee was our new arrival, Tango, who recently joined us from Drusillas Zoo. We will share more updates soon, but he is currently completing his quarantine period.”
The escape follows an announcement earlier in the day that the zoo was “temporarily closed this morning due to unforeseen circumstances.”
Capybaras are the world’s largest rodent species and are native to South America.
This is not the first time an animal has escaped from Jersey Zoo.
In 2022, several ring-tailed lemurs got out of their enclosure and were seen exploring neighbouring gardens Trinity before being safely recovered.
The zoo has not confirmed how the capybara escaped this morning.
