On the trail of Samba, the escapee capybara: JANE FRYER joins worried zoo staff and delighted locals to find the missing animal… and reveals the real reason she is proving so hard to catch

By anyone’s standards, capybara Samba has had a pretty good time since her dramatic escape from Marwell Zoo in Hampshire on March 17.

He first appeared on the edge of a lawn near the Ship Inn in the village of Owslebury; This must have come as a surprise to punters, given that capybaras resemble dog-sized guinea pigs.

Then, last Saturday, he was seen sunbathing on the banks of the River Itchen near Twyford, about three miles from the zoo, resting on a carpet of wild mint, buttercups and dandelions.

Unfortunately his sunny dreams are interrupted by a large black labrador named Growler, whose enthusiastic owner Claudie Paddick mistakes him for a deer. I said to poor Growler, ‘Wait! Growler, WAIT!’, but he conveniently filmed it all, even Samba’s sharp exit onto Itchen with a perfect swan dive, in a 20-second video that went viral.

Hotline numbers are posted online and the zoo is asking locals to keep their eyes peeled, especially around ponds and rivers, as capybaras love water.

Reports emerged that expert teams were working 24 hours a day with thermal imaging drones, CCTV cameras, nets, dart guns, dog units and infrared cameras, all hunting down the fugitive. On Wednesday, the zoo said it was investigating an unconfirmed Samba sighting in the nearby village of Allbrook. On Thursday, it announced it had a permit to set humane traps along the riverbank filled with melons, Samba’s favorite snack.

Search teams have even begun playing recorded capybara sounds (a cross between a guinea pig and a dog barking) in areas where he has been spotted, and Samba’s story is featured on news programs around the world.

But nothing has happened so far.

Jane Fryer takes a walk along the River Itchen, where Samba was last seen

Meanwhile, about every day Samba appears and immediately disappears again. He was almost waving with his furry paw.

While he doesn’t quite laugh, he makes it clear that he has no intention of returning to the temporary quarantine shelter at Marwell Zoo from which he and his sister Tango, now safely in captivity, escaped last Tuesday any time soon.

On Thursday the Daily Mail attended the hunt along the Itchen in the villages of Otterbourne, Allbrook and Bishopstoke.

And a few things immediately became clear.

For starters, everyone here loves capybaras except Growler.

‘Did you know that they are related to guinea pigs and can grow up to two meters long?’ 14-year-old Aiden Nisa asks me in the supermarket. ‘And they’re herbivores and love water, so it’ll be fine by the river.’

Sitting in the sun by the war memorial in Bishopstoke, a lady called Jean told me that capybaras are the largest rodents in the world. ‘They come from South America and can weigh up to 80 kg (176 lbs),’ he says. ‘Samba is only nine months old, so he’s much younger.’

The first thing everyone asks when you encounter them on the idyllic riverside is ‘Have you seen him?’ It is possible. Even more surprising, by late morning, almost everyone seems to have it. In increasingly exotic places.

‘Samba? ‘I saw him having a beer at The Ship Inn last night,’ says Julie behind the till at the Nisa supermarket. ‘He was here a second ago!’ says Jane in the café at Brambridge Park Garden Centre.

At The Otter pub in Otterbourne, landlord David Knott tells me he came in for a session last night. ‘Look, here are some pictures,’ he says, and shows me some pictures of Samba sipping Budweiser in the middle of a big festivity. Ah. The penny is starting to drop. Especially when even the lovely woman in the wheelchair, Jenny, told me that she had seen Samba at group training yesterday when we met her canine partner Rane by the river.

Group work?

‘Oh yeah, look,’ he says, winking, pulling out his phone and showing me an AI-generated photo of Samba holding a saxophone with members of the Riverside Concert Band.

‘Of course we all hope he’s okay,’ he says. ‘But it also takes a little longer to escape, especially in this weather.’

Because while the zoo staff are frantic with worry and gearing up for a long hunt (two capybaras went missing from Marwell 30 years ago and haven’t been seen around for two months), the locals are all rooting for the escapee. And he’s busy creating endless memes about what he can do. I get a blow dry at April Scott Hair in Eastleigh. Shopping bags are loaded on the escalators at Westquay Shopping Center in Southampton. I’ve been quietly knitting with Hythe All-Wool Yarns. Sipping my beer in the stands at Totton FC.

Online memes show Samba enjoying a refreshing pint while supporting Totton FC. He’s such a fan that he even has a team scarf

An AI-generated photo shows Samba playing saxophone with the Riverside Concert Band

Jenny said, ‘It’s just a bit of fun; “It’s a welcome change after wars and bombings,” he says.

Of course, it’s not all that fun for Marwell’s goalkeepers. Samba and Tango had arrived from a wildlife park in Ipswich just the day before their moonlight flight. They would live in a temporary quarantine area for a month before joining some sitatunga deer in a much larger enclosure.

Zoo staff know their work to get Samba back is stalled.

Because although capybaras are cute, gentle animals and pose no risk to humans, pets or wildlife, they can be very difficult to catch. They can move surprisingly fast on land – 22 miles per hour in a light wind – are excellent swimmers, can hold their breath underwater for ten minutes, and are adept at hiding.

They push themselves out of the way and into the river banks. Making sure they only defecate in water to confuse the scout dogs. Move quietly and slowly. Traveling at night. And staying close to water.

Everyone we encounter stares as we walk along Itchen Road. Dave and Phil from Winchester with their border terrier. Margaret and Steve came from Swanborough. ‘They are so sweet, they are amazing. Everyone loves capybaras! Our grandchildren are obsessed,’ says Margaret.

In all observations to date, Samba looks extremely good. The weather is very nice, neither too wet nor cold. Riverside food is also plentiful and perhaps a little more exciting than your usual fare.

‘Samba will love the river. I think there’s watercress on the banks at the moment and he’ll really love it,’ says Ali at the garden centre. ‘He’s living his best life!’

But perhaps The Otter’s David says it best: ‘We all want him to be safe, of course we do. But we were a little disappointed. Because we want him to live a little and have some fun before he’s put back in the zoo and it’s all over.’