A huge capybara took a dip in a family’s swimming pool leaving them stunned.
They called the authorities after stumbling upon the chunky, 13 st (83kg) rodent as it cooled off.
Wildlife officials were dispatched to the residential property.
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They helped the thickset adult heave itself up onto the poolside using grabber tongs.
They then wrapped the intruder in a net before shutting it in a cage.
It happened in Niterói, east of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as reported by What’s The Jam.
After finding the herbivore to be in good health, they drove it to a canal, where they released it back into the wild yesterday (30 Apr) morning.
Deputy inspector Jociley Neves of the Municipal Guard said: “Our officers are trained and know how to deal with each type of animal.
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“We work in a specialised way, and the area where the animal was released is one of the sites selected by our teams for reintegrating various wild animals and helping preserve the local fauna.”
Capybaras are native to South America and are the largest rodents in the world.
Despite their size, they are gentle and calm creatures, even in the presence of humans.
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They are excellent swimmers and spend a lot of time in water.
They can stay submerged for up to five minutes and have webbed feet to help them swim.
Their cute, cuddly appearance has made them popular in meme culture.
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