Yorkshire Wildlife Park welcomes two capybara brothers
Chip and Dale have travelled from the Gaia Zoo in the Netherlands to their new home in the Amazonas Reserve at YWP.
16 April 2026
Born on the 9th of June last year, the duo is approaching their first birthday. They have been a big hit with rangers so far with their laid back attitude.
They were allowed outside only days after their arrival as they were settling in so well.
Dr Charlotte MacDonald, Director of Animals, said: “We are delighted to welcome Chip and Dale to the park.
“They have settled in well after their long journey. We let them outside and they had a good look around before heading straight back into their house.
“Capybaras are very sociable animals, and we are sure that they will be very popular amongst visitors.
“The Amazonas reserve transports visitors to the Amazon rainforest and is home to some incredible South American species.
“The capybaras will live amongst our monkeys - golden lion tamarins, silvery marmosets, red titi monkeys and other South American rodents, the Mara and agouti.”
Visitors walk amongst the animals on pathways that loop through the large reserve with the animals able to come and go as they please.
Closely related to guinea pigs; capybaras are the world’s largest rodents and extremely sociable animals. With partially webbed feet and big thick bodies, they spend a lot of time in the water and can remain submerged for up to 5 minutes. They often submerge in water to avoid predators and can even sleep underwater by leaving their nostrils poking out of the surface to breathe.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which puts conservation at the heart of all its activities, offers an unrivalled walk-through experience coming almost face-to-face with some of the world’s most beautiful and rare species including Amur Tigers, Giraffes, Black Rhinos and Polar Bears.
The Yorkshire Wildlife resort boasts The Hex Wildlife Hotel and The Yorkshire Hive – a shopping, dining and entertainment village
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