A Loving Eye
Owner’s blog:
It is always hard to say goodbye to a beloved pet, but it is never harder than when the pet is a capybara. Every single capybara is a unique and wonderful creature whose demanding love forever changes those around them. Rocco is a special story though because, unlike every other capy I have blogged about, Rocco was born wild. His is a hard story, but it needs to be told.
Rocco's World
The photo above shows the world into which Rocco was born. The idyllic “wild” that I hear so much about. So how did he come to be a pet? I will let Marta tell the story, but it is in Spanish so I will provide a translation just below.
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Como llegó Rocco a mi vida.
Mi esposo va todos los fines de semana al campo de mis suegros, a veces visita campos vecinos por temas laborales. Un día ingresa a un campo y al llegar a la casa del peón, ve que habían matado a un carpincho, le estaban abriendo su panza, era una hembra y dentro de su vientre habían 4 bebes carpinchos, 3 de ellos ya estaban muertos y Rocco agonizaba. Hernán ( mi esposo ) al ver tal crueldad me llama desde su celular y me cuenta lo sucedido, me puse a llorar y le pedí por favor que trataran de resucitarlo y que me lo trajera que yo lo iba a criar.
Así llegó Rocco a mi vida.
Una semana antes de que mataran a la mamá de Rocco, habían matado al papá Carpincho.
How Rocco came into my life
Every weekend, my husband goes to his parent’s house in the country. At times, he visits his neighbors to do some work. One day he arrived at the house to find that they had killed a capybara and were cutting it open. It was a female with four babies inside her. Three were already dead, and Rocco just barely alive. Hernán, my husband, seeing this cruelty, called me on his cell phone and told me what was happening. I began to cry and begged him to try to revive him so that I could raise him.
And so Rocco came into my life.
One week before they killed Rocco’s mother, they killed his father.
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I am going to put the photos of Rocco’s father at the bottom of the post and I will put a warning and some blank lines before you reach them.
Rocco with a plush capybara
As you can see, Rocco had a very hard start to life. Luckily Hernán was there to save him and Marta to love him and to raise him. In the photo above, you can see that he was just as spoiled as every pet capybara.
Rocco pestering Naranjita
The video above is a cute sequence of baby Rocco bothering his cat co-pet, Naranjita. What personality he had!
Baby Rocco playing with Brissa
A young Rocco swimming in a pool
Rocco had a lot of co-pets and seemed to get along with all of them. A wonderful life for a capybara snatched from his mother’s womb.
Rocco lived to be 2.5 years old and apparently died of gastroenteritis. Marta took him to the vet but, even though she lives in Argentina, no one knew how to treat him or what medicine to give him.
Rocco with his best friend Brissa
I am sure Marta would appreciate any kind comments you would like to leave her. You can also follow the video links to her YouTube and leave comments there if you would like.
One last photo of Rocco and then I will post the photos of his father. I believe this photo was taken while Rocco was sick.
2.5 years is not long enough
You will be missed, little Rocco, and you will be remembered.
This is what happened to both of Rocco’s parents, his mother despite that fact that she was carrying four nearly full term infants. Next time someone says Garibaldi Rous would be better off in the wild, I am going to force them to look at these images.
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I decided to move the graphic images to a private post so that no one will accidentally view them. Click on The Birth of Rocco to see more images and read a little more of Rocco’s story. The password is Carpincho.
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I had to quickly scroll past the graphic photos, but I caught a glimpse of the last one … 🙁 Despite Rocco’s life being so short, he ended up being safe and loved. Thank you for saving him <3
So sorry for her loss.
Lo siento, Marta.
Rocco was blessed to have been saved & loved by you…as you were surely blessed to have had him in your life, as short a time as that was. Sending love to you and prayers for comfort at this time of loss.
Good night, sweet Rocco. May flights of winged cavies sing thee to thy rest.
Heartbreaking story. Thankfully Rocco had love, even if for just a few short years.
Marta, I am so sorry for your loss but so happy that you were able to give Rocco a happy home during his short time on earth.
G-d love him! It makes me so sad. I love my Capy Nathan so much. He has made MY WORLD. To be without my Capy Nathan is to be without life. Nathan has taught me that Capy’s and animals love us for who we are, for who we will never be….And they do not judge us. If only people were the same. My Nathan gets me up in the morning, and he makes me see life for what it is, for what it CAN be, as well as for what IT WILL NEVER BE IN THIS LIFETIME. Love your Capys. Treat them with respect….nathanfamouscapybara64
It’s a continuing war which have been lasting for ages, and that lately capybaras and some homosapiens united and fight back.
It will go on. Homosapiens will most likely be extinct and rodents will prevail on earth.
Every soldier counts. Long live Rocco the great capybara!
May you rest in eternal love and peace. Amen.
My God
Lo siento mucho.
GARI, WE LOVE YOU! AND NO YOU AND DOBBYE DO NOT BELONG IN THE WILD!!! NATHAN IS LOVED JUST THE WAY HE IS…. he is still a wild little fella, as he will always be, but I LOVE HIM the way he is! Capys will always have a ‘wild’ instinct, and will NEVER be tamed, but isn’t that what G-d intended–for human’s and nature to learn from one another. PEOPLE, you have to realize that animals, like people, are not and should not be treated like slaves, or something to be treated like a puppet. My Capy Nathan is allowed to be just himself……And I LOVE AND RESPECT MY CAPYBARA NATHAN for being himself. Being an animal DOES NOT MEAN THAT HE/SHE is born without a soul nor a purpose in life. I am so sorry for the persons that have lost thier beloved Capy. Animals seem to be the only innocent souls that show true and compassionate and unconditional love…Things that people can not understand in this day and age…Am I overcompensating? NO. I am NOT a vegan, I DO support animal rights, but I DO NOT go overboard with animal rights. But I DO BELIEVE that every soul has a place in this life. I am NOT AN OVERZEALOUS or religious person, but I am humanistic and I do believe that animals show us the true meaning of life. They NEVER judge us if our house is clean or not, if we wear the ‘right’ clothes or brand, they are just there to let us know that they love and appreciate us. The world needs to change their views. Animals show us loyalty. They do not cheat, they do not lie, they are there for us when NO ONE else cares. They, like us, have their good days and their bad days. But they NEVER complain. They ask for VERY little. They want to be loved–like us–they want to have food–like us—they want companionship and to know that they are cared for and that they mean something to someone in their lives—like us….IS That too much to ask?
Marta, I cannot put into words how sad and sorry I am for you that you lost your sweet and very loving Rocco. He was a very lucky and Blessed Capy to have lived a wonderful life with you though it was such a short time. He will always remain in your heart along with all the beautiful memories. I don’t understand people and why they do such awful cruel things as they did to Rocco’s Mom & Dad. These last 2 photos will remain in my mind for a long time. Right now I feel anger,& hurt. But at the same time, so relieved that you were able to save Rocco. You were his Angel, now he is yours. Ann Bednarek
I am so sorry you lost your dear Rocco. What a lovely life you gave him, more years than he would have had without your love and care.
I am so sorry about Rocco. Not just that he is gone, but that once again, a capy has gone too young because no vet knew how to help him. He is with Caplin, watching over the herd.
While his story had a horrible start, it had a wonderful middle. Rocco knew love as much as it is possible to know it, from his humans and his copets! I couldn’t look at the horrible pictures, only cheer that hubby arrived in time to save him, and gave him a chance. RIP little capy guy ♥♡♥
I’m so sorry about Rocco. His time was too short, but he looked quite happy at his home. My heart goes out to you.
What bittersweet photos and videos of Rocco. I am so sorry for the loss. But what a wonderful life he was given in the short time he had. Both Marta and Rocco were blessed to have that short, sweet time. I guess we win war, one tiny battle at a time. As a Rottweiler Rescue volunteer, I see some horrendous things (and not from the Rotts–from the people). I’ve yet to understand why humans are considered the “superior” species. Unfortunately, we need to keep telling these stories — much as they hurt — so we don’t forget. Thanks for sharing every part of Rocco’s story, Marta. And thanks for taking him in and loving him so much!
Bless you and your husband, Marta, for saving Rocco from certain death in the wild. What those people do to the capybaras is horrific. I’m so glad that Rocco was given a chance to be loved and spoiled, even if only for a short time. I know that you will miss him and love him forever. Rest peacefully, Rocco!
Marta, te deseo fuerza para soportar la ausencia de Rocco. Que sepas que Rocco fue muy feliz y grato por su vida a su lado.
Such a sad story, but I’m glad Rocco was a spoiled capybara while he was alive!
This is such a beautiful story. Everyone has different opinions about captivity and the wild. I sometimes consider myself a pet hoarder so I worry about the wild. Culturally you know how the south americans feel about carpincho and eating them. The same with guinea pigs. I do not want to think about it though….
Muchas Gracias !!!! A todos los amiguitos de Rocco, conmovidos por lo sucedido. Me pone feliz saber que hay personas que tiene un gran corazón como Ustedes, no hay duda que son buenos seres humanos. Un fuerte abrazo para todos.
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