A whole lot of Capybaras ‘Conquered’ This City. Now What?

Luciano Sampietro lifted a three-foot aluminum pipe to his lips and blew, sending a blow dart laced with sedatives, muscle relaxers and painkillers towards the world’s largest rodent, lounging close to a synthetic pond.

The veterinarian’s goal, a roughly 110-pound alpha male capybara, was hit within the hind leg. Mr. Sampietro fired once more and struck a feminine. Inside quarter-hour, employees dressed within the tan outfits of safari guides scooped up the sleeping sufferers.

However they had been too late: The feminine was already pregnant. In order that they injected the male with a drug designed to cease him from impregnating any extra.

Sure, within the rich suburbs of Buenos Aires, they’re sterilizing the capybaras.

The rotund, laid-back, dog-sized rodents native to South America have just lately grow to be a darling of the fashionable web. They’ve catapulted to the highest of the unofficial lovable animal rankings through numerous movies exhibiting them mellow, plump and completely comfortable to let monkeys and geese trip on their backs. Their picture adorns backpacks and stuffed animals, and in Tokyo, vacationers pay premiums to feed them carrots at capybara cafes.