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what the ROUS Foundation Means to Me

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Melanie’s post:

I think a lot of you know that after Caplin Rous’s death in January of 2011, I started a charity called the ROUS Foundation for Capybara Veterinary Medicine (RF). I am happy to say that the RF has done a lot of good work for captive capybaras and their caretakers, but it hasn’t been easy.

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In Memoriam: Dobby Winnick (Part 1)

Dobby Winnick

Melanie’s Post:

This is an especially hard memorial post. Not only was Dobby a superior capybara, but he was also Caplin Rous’ younger brother. And if that weren’t enough, he died on July 9th, one day before Caplin Day, which would have been Caplin’s 11th birthday. Dobby, whose birthday was Feb. 14, 2009, was 9.5 years old when he died.

One of the services provided by the ROUS Foundation for Capybara Veterinary Medicine (RF) is the performance of necropsies on capybaras. We do this because without knowing why capybaras die, we can’t know how to keep them alive. Dobby lived to a respectable age, but of course we would have liked him to live longer. Forever, if possible.

Preliminary results of Dobby’s necropsy show that he died from hepatitis. This is the same thing that killed Caplin Rous. Since they were full brothers, this is suspicious, but without more data it is hard to draw solid conclusions. Please consider making a donation.

Continue reading “In Memoriam: Dobby Winnick (Part 1)” »

In Memoriam: Buella Belle Capybara

Owner’s blog:

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Beulla Belle

This is a very hard post for me to write. A beautiful young capybara named Buella Belle died this week. The photo of her above was taken on the day she died. You can see how gorgeous she was and how healthy she looked. And you might even notice the resemblance to Garibaldi Rous, especially around the large ears. They were half-siblings, having the same father but different mothers. Continue reading “In Memoriam: Buella Belle Capybara” »

The ROUS Foundation

Caplin Rous 2007/07/10 – 2011/01/04

Capybaras are delicate animals, much more so than you would expect from such large creatures, especially given that they are rodents. Continue reading to find out how you can help keep them healthy and happy in captivity. Continue reading “The ROUS Foundation” »