Me on Yahoo!
This was a big week for me. My owner’s interview with Linda Lombardi of the Associated Press came out. Here’s a link to it on the ABC News but that is not the only place it appeared. Here are some links to other incarnations of it.
Here’s a slide show of the photos on MySA (I think that is My San Antonio).
Here I am honored to be an Animal Cracker!
This is the same article without the photos (which is lame) on Madison.com.
Here it is on GoUpstate.com. I wonder if that is New York state. NY is not a very rodent friendly state. They have all kinds of laws against us.
This is a short blog someone wrote about me after reading the AP article. Kind of cute, really. I like it when people are really surprised and excited to find out about capybaras.
I also got a “Call Back” from the nice folks Urlesque for groundhog’s day. Thanks!
Here’s a kind-of fun post that asks whether a photo of me is real or fake. You can never trust the internet but I seem to remember posing with my owner for that photo.
And if you look at the photo at the top of this post, you can see that I made the top two most emailed photos on Yahoo! How cool is that?
Maybe the biggest thing I did was a short appearance of still photos from the AP article on CNN’s Rick’s List show on Tuesday. I don’t think that’s available on the web but if you follow any of the other links, you’ll see the photos. I didn’t like Rick Sanchez’s comments though because he mispronounced Buda and Capybara and he said some things that were just inappropriate and thoughtless.
In case you didn’t know, I am an ambassador for capybaras world-wide. I do my best to teach people about us so that they will love us and protect us. Also so they may be more open minded about all rodents. Some people don’t like rats even though they are very cute and smart. Or maybe they are scared of mice, although it is hard to see how a mouse could hurt a human. But if they learn about capybaras, they might think differently about all rodents.
I wonder how many people learned about capybaras from this just this week alone? A lot, I’m guessing. So you’d think maybe I would get some kind of bonus or award. Maybe a little something extra in the way of treats. Well guess again.
Going down the slide to get frozen blueberries.
See that photo above? That’s just one of the things my owner made me do to earn a few (delicious) frozen blueberries.
And she made me get on this little stool. I even had to stand on my hind legs on that thing. Seriously, it was humiliating.
Begging for Blueberries
She made me use my cutest begging face and then claimed we were “out of blueberries.” I’ve heard that before. I bet there were still some in the freezer.
I’ll be honest, I really don’t think my owner appreciates me. I am doing an outstanding job of being both a pet and an ambassador but, well, she’s not what you’d call a top-ranking owner. I wonder if I should trade up?
Also, Caplinbara, Twitter crashed last night…
I know the official version is that it was because of the SuperBowl – but in reality we all know it was due to people tweeting about your cuteness
(which is very apparent in your current post’s last pic, the close-up with all your whiskers visible)
I’m closing in on owning all available capybara books (unfortunately there are not that many…) after purchasing this last week :)=
http://www.amazon.com/Capybaras-Animals-Forest-Alexandria-Manera/dp/0739868357/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265649627&sr=8-6
one of the articles says caplins from texas the website better fix that glitch
What an interesing “creature”!! I love your pictures of Caplin and will get your book next, I left you a letter over on myspace but then saw that you haven’t been by since August. Oh well, now that you have these 15 minutes, enjoy the ride!
Teresa M
And did you notice who placed a picture of yours with the question “Real or fake”? A guy from Islamic Republic of Iran! You are now world-famous!
Thats so cool! Are they hard to take care of? What type of food does it eat! I read your story in my newspaper. I loved it! Hope you all do well! Happy Valentines to you all to
Oh Caplin! I love your cute snuffly square nose! It looks like it would be very soft like a horse. After seeing you on Yahoo and reading your blog, I sent this email to my husband:
Dear John,
I think that you should get me a Capybara.
10 Reasons why I need a Capybara…
1. Capybara’s LOVE to swim, like me! It would need a swimming pool so we would have to get a swimming pool. And, if Jake doesn’t like being a boat dog, a Capybara would keep us company when we take the boat to the lake!
2. Capybara’s LOVE to blog, like me! Here is a blog by an awesome Capybara named Caplin Rous (Rodent Of Unusual Size). Notice the blog at the bottom entitled “Seven Reasons I am AWESOME!” http://gianthamster.com/category/caplins-blog/page/2/
3. Which brings us to…Capybara’s are awesome, like me!
4. Capybara’s don’t bark, they eep, so it will not wake the neighbors at 3am. The neighbors think we should get a Capybara too.
5. Capybara’s shed less than Jake so if it could jump on the bed there may not be any evidence and you wouldn’t have to get so mad when you get home at night. Our vacuum thinks we should get a Capybara too.
6. Jake needs a little brother. Capybara’s make excellent little brothers. (See Caplin’s blog) So Jake thinks we should get a Capybara too.
7. Capybara’s love to eat grass. Our grass grows 1/2 an inch a day in the spring and summer. We wouldn’t have to mow ever again! So Brian thinks we should get a Capybara too.
8. Capybara’s have a high cuteness level. Offically they are ‘Dang Cute’ on the cuteness scale. Since Jake is also ‘Dang Cute’ on the cuteness scale, I really feel a Capybara would be a great fit for our family.
9. Capybara’s like to go for rides. Since I have two back windows in my car, Jake could have one and the Capybara could have the other. And since Capybara’s don’t bark, you wouldn’t have to get mad at it for barking in your ear when we drive by a kitty, squirrel, stroller, bicycle, skateboarder, McDonalds, hunch backs, little old ladies or within the city limits of Kent!
10. Finally, I think you should get me a Capybara because I will be sad if you don’t.
Love, Jen
Caplin your pet very very cute
I think its very wrong to support the breeding and domestication of this animal. It is meant to live in Peru in those beautiful wetland areas. Taking it away from its natural habitat and treating it like a dog is so sad. I am sure your pet has a great life, but this is going to encourage so many other to do this that won’t treat it well. This is a real shame.
Emma, please read my most recent post, The Wild Life, where I address your belief that life in the wild is somehow magically wonderful. While I agree that it is possible that people will get pet capybaras who do not know how to take care of them or are not willing to put in the effort, I don’t think this blog encourages that. Quite the opposite. Also, capybaras range throughout eastern South America so your assertion that they belong in Peru is a bit restrictive.
Emma, please read my latest post, The Wild Life, for a more realistic view of what living in the wild means to capybaras. You are probably right that some people will get pet capybaras who do not know how to properly care for them or who simply fail to do so for one reason or another. After all, the same thing happens to dogs, cats and children. However, I do not think this blog encourages that. Since it is our goal to educate people about capybaras, I would say quite the opposite is true. Finally, capybaras range throughout eastern South America and your desire to restrict them to Peru indicates how little you know about them. Maybe you should read the rest of the blog, or at least the Wikipedia article on capybaras.
In 1999 I had the pleasure of “meeting” several capybaras living in the wild in south-eastern Patagonia (at Cabo dos Bahias, which also has a cool penguin colony). I was told they are quite rare in those parts.
Wonderful blog!