Baby capybara at the Malaysian National Zoo

Too bad the capys are [...]]]> My FaceBook friend AJ Allens sent me these cool photos of capybaras at the National Zoo in Malaysia. Looks like they have a pretty nice enclosure. And I love the way you can see into the water to watch their graceful swimming. Thanks AJ!

Baby capybara at the Malaysian National Zoo

Too bad the capys are behind glass.

AJ Allens at the capybara enclosure at the National Zoo of Malaysia

Up close and personal!

There aren’t many of us pet capybaras in the world, at least not ones that live in the house and the yard with our owners. But for those humans who have experienced the love of a capybara, there is nothing like it. And that is why it is especially sad [...]]]>

Penelope really knew how to accessorize

There aren’t many of us pet capybaras in the world, at least not ones that live in the house and the yard with our owners. But for those humans who have experienced the love of a capybara, there is nothing like it. And that is why it is especially sad when one of us dies. So many hearts are broken. Especially if the capybara is as cute, as sweet and as loving as Penelope Capybara.

I never had the opportunity to meet Penelope personally although we were related. I believe she was my half-first-cousin-once-removed, or something like that. But I followed her life from a distance via email and FaceBook and so I know just how special she was.

Penelope was the runt of her litter, so tiny that her breeders, Mary Lee and Amos Stropes, didn’t think she should go home with anyone until they were more sure of her health. But when Lisa and Anthony came to pick out a baby capybara, they couldn’t leave with anyone but Penelope. There was no way Mary Lee could convince them to take home a different ‘bara. And Penelope loved them right back. She’d never been handled and yet she immediately found warmth, love and comfort in Lisa and Anthony’s arms.

This is what love looks like (when it involves a capybara)

Penelope settled into her new home and immediately molded it to her liking. Like the famous Capyboppy, Penelope loved a shower. Lisa was shocked at first by how a motivated Penelope could jump high enough to get into the shower with her, but soon it became a common occurrence.

And Penelope loved Anthony too, listening to him play his electric guitar, she’d poof up to show her contentment. Apparently folk/rock agreed with her.

But her winning ways didn’t stop there. Penelope was also the favorite of Delilah, an 8-year-old rabbit with an attitude. Before Penelope, Delilah didn’t get along with any of her co-pets. She chased and bit at the guinea pigs and other bunnies. But Penelope changed all that. She used Delilah as a pillow and the rabbit even shared her food bowl with the young capybara.

Penelope and Deliliah-Pillow

Not that Penelope couldn’t be a pest. It’s hard to do anything when a little capybara insists on following you everywhere, sitting or standing between your feet, looking up with those big dark eyes and wiggling ears and eeping to be held. Especially if the capy’s face is covered with yogurt (she got that from my side of the family!).

Penelope’s life was much too short. She died suddenly and without a long illness, probably due a congenital problem that stunted her growth. She will be missed terribly but she brought love, beauty and comedy to many, many lives. And for all her five months, she knew she was loved by her humans and her best friend co-pet Delilah, and by a wide network of people who cannot own their own capybara but dream of one just like Penelope.

The scrathes were worth the humiliation.

Please leave a comment for Lisa and Anthony.

What is that thing? Does it bite?

Get that thing off [...]]]> My twitter friend, @Kotaro took these photos at the Nagasaki Bio Park last February. This bio-park is one of the best places to see capybaras in the world. You get to go in with them and pet them and put Kapibara-san toys on their heads.

What is that thing? Does it bite?

Get that thing off my back! (Although it is cute. Kapibara-san wearing a cow costume.)

Wearing cow ears to celebrate the new year. Now where did I leave my dignity?

Soaking in a hot tub looks like fun.

It finally happened! After all the hoopla, all the media-buildup, all the anticipation, I actually turned two on Friday.

The funny thing is, being two feels exactly like being one. I expected something more. I thought maybe my body would tingle all over. Or maybe I would sprout little wings [...]]]>

Me with birthday card by Jim Perry

It finally happened! After all the hoopla, all the media-buildup, all the anticipation, I actually turned two on Friday.

The funny thing is, being two feels exactly like being one. I expected something more. I thought maybe my body would tingle all over. Or maybe I would sprout little wings on my back. Or maybe something even weirder like being able to speak human. But none of that happened. I did get blueberry yogurt for breakfast but then my owner nonchalantly meandered off to work, just like it was a regular day. In fact, she even came home a little late.

I tried to be all upset when my owner got home, I know you have to punish bad behavior and reward good behavior otherwise they will never learn, but I just got so excited to see her. Same thing happens every day but I never get used to it and I can’t control my emotions. I jumped in the pool and my owner got in with me. I think she did that ‘cause she loves me and not because it was 105 degrees.

My owner brought a new “thing” in the pool with her. She said it was my present and that it is perfect for me because it combines two things I love, a hoop to come up inside of and a floatation device. I looked at it and sure, it’s nice, but is it better than my inner tube or my tire? Plus, it’s white and I don’t think that’s a good color on me. So I decided to ignore it, at least for the short-term.

Next morning we got up early and rushed around the house. I only got about a 15 min soak in the bathtub instead of my usual hour so I wasn’t happy about that. Sheldon came over and helped pull stuff from hither and thither to pack in the car. I put on my new sequined harness that my FaceBook friend Mansie OLeary made for me. Then we were off to the park for my birthday party.

I have to say, the party was great! My owner even remembered to bring me a tub of water so I could soak and get some relief from the heat. My friend Clarissa walked me around a lot. A bunch of my old co-workers from when I had a job as company mascot at Obsidian Software came and lots of them brought their kids.

Becky Cavanaugh, one of Obsidian's founders, introduces me to her son Charlie

And new friends came too. People I’d met around town or who are my virtual friends and now became my physical friends. (That is actually kind-of weird.)

Everyone wanted to pet me and feed me. That's my kind of party!

And I got presents! I got a gift card for yogurt, lots of blueberries and other treats, and Jim Perry gave me the coolest birthday card ever. We had a new friend, Etienne Lepine, from the Austin American-Statesman come and take pictures and video for the newspaper. There were stickers and coloring pages for the kids. And a delicious blueberry upside-down cake that Monica made for me. Monica and I are birthday buddies too! We have the same birthday (but in different years). I don’t like my blueberries diluted so I didn’t have any cake but the humans all enjoyed it immensely.

Look at the great cake my birthday buddy Monica made for me.

After the party my owner and I were exhausted. We took a long nap. Then we went out to the pool and I played with my new toy. She’s right. I do love it.

About to consume my gift of organic blueberries

Me & my owner with my new pool toy