00:00Hi, I'm Dan Messer. I am the Zoo Manager here at Lotherton Wildlife World.
00:04In October we'll be launching our new capybara experience.
00:07We've got three capybaras here. We've got Mum, Carly, Dad, Brian
00:11and our new addition that was born this year, Dober,
00:15who was named by one of the schools that we put out for a competition.
00:19So as part of that experience, again, you'll go behind the scenes with one of our keepers
00:23to meet our capybara, to get up close, offer them some food, some browse,
00:27have some photos taken and to learn everything you need to know about capybaras.
00:31Capybaras are one of the most wonderful creatures on our planet.
00:34They are the world's largest rodent.
00:36They come from South America and they are a highly social species as well.
00:40So you'll often see photos of them in groups of up to 30 to 40 individuals.
00:44They are a semi-aquatic animal, so they spend a lot of their time around the water.
00:48So if you do the experience, you might even be lucky to see them swimming and playing around.
00:51Our little one has settled in fantastically well.
00:54From the moment they're born, these guys are ready to go.
00:57They hit the ground running and they're so alert.
01:00So he's been wandering around, he's been finding his feet.
01:03He's done fantastically well with dad.
01:06Dad has been really gentle, really, really kind with him.
01:09We've got lots of videos of them playing in the pond.
01:12A mum is a very protective mum.
01:15So most of the time, if you see any of them together,
01:18it will be Carly and Dober going around together
01:22because he will never stray too far from mum.
01:25Working here is an absolute privilege.
01:28In this whole industry, working with animals is a dream job.
01:31It's a dream come true in reality.
01:34We get to spend so much time working with these animals, going behind the scenes.
01:39You just couldn't ask for more.
01:41Every day is different. It's a challenge, don't get me wrong.
01:44There's always something new happening.
01:47We've got loads of animals breeding, so we never know what's going to happen.
01:51These guys always keep us on our toes for different days.
01:54It is an absolute pleasure to work with them
01:57and to work with all the animals here at Lotherton.
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