Surprise capybara twin pups are born in zoo

Heartwarming footage shows two newborn capybara pups that came as a delightful surprise to zoo staff. The twins were born just one hour after park keepers discovered capybara Mum-of-four Clementine was in labour. Now they are both thriving alongside elder siblings Squash, Marmalade, and Tango.

Lovely surprise as pups are born

Head Keeper Gemma Romanis said: “We thought Clementine was expecting, but didn’t know exactly when the pups would arrive, so it was a lovely surprise to discover her in labour and support her as she gave birth...Clementine is such a good mother, and the keeper team are all very impressed with how well she looks after all her babies – she’s a real supermum!”

‘Happy ever after’ for capybara family

Despite being introduced to numerous suitors, Clementine didn’t hit it off with any of her prospective partners and there had been no capybara babies at Drusillas Park, in Sussex, for 11 years. Then, in 2021, Augustus arrived at the zoo and he and Clementine welcomed their first baby, Satsuma, in summer 2022.

Ms Romanis added: “Any baby is special, but it feels really wonderful for Clementine to grow her family again, after the journey she’s had to get here. She really struggled to find a mate she connected with, so the fact that she found ‘the one’ and has now had 6 babies with him is just lovely. A real ‘happily ever after’ ending!

“Since they were born earlier this month, the two loveable new additions are being beautifully cared for by their doting Mum and Dad and playing with their brother and sisters.”

Help name the pups

With the new arrivals, the Sussex Zoo Park now has six capybaras, and they are asking the public to help decide the name of the two new pups – one girl and one boy. To vote for your favourite name, head to Drusillas Park socials.