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A giant rodent that escaped from a Shropshire zoo has been caught in a pond and hauled out after a week of freedom.
A search team discovered Cinnamon the capybara in a field next to Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Telford, from where she had escaped last Friday.
The animal was spotted on Tuesday, but it took until Friday for a team of “over a dozen experts” to capture her in a pond, which is in the zoo’s woodland conservation area.
Keepers worked through the night on Wednesday to try to catch her, but said the area where she was living was extremely dense with almost impenetrable undergrowth.
On Thursday, the zoo said attempts to capture Cinnamon had been put on hold so that she did not become stressed.
But the following day, she was spotted by a thermal drone within 5m of where she was seen on Tuesday night, and keepers found fresh tracks and capybara poo.
A video posted by the zoo on social media showed the fugitive animal being hauled from the water in a metal cage on Friday.
One-year-old Cinnamon was put back in an enclosure with her twin brother, Churro.
Keepers will monitor her around the clock to ensure a “seamless transition back to family life”, the zoo said.
Officials said Cinnamon would not be on public view this weekend as she re-familiarised herself with her usual surroundings.
Capybaras, the biggest rodent in the world, growing to more than 4ft long and up to 2ft high, are semi-aquatic and happy in water.
Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World owner Will Dorrell said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have Cinnamon back at the zoo.
“We’ve been astounded at the public reaction to Cinnamon’s escape and are so grateful to everybody who has helped to return her safely to the zoo.
“Cinnamon will be spending some time with her brother in an off-show enclosure this weekend, but all being well we hope that Cinnamon will return to her usual paddock with the rest of her family next week.
“I know that there will be lots of people who will be very excited to see her, but nobody more so than her own mum and dad,” Mr Dorrell added.
