Humans are weird. They ignore most nature but fetishize some cuddly animals. Like the capybara, a giant rodent.
The capybara is both a rodent and a mammal. They are gentle creatures despite their large size and odd shape. They can grow to over 200 lbs. They are also semi-aquatic which is why they have webs on their furry paws.
Capybaras have huge fan-bases on (human) social media. The New Yorker just printed an amusing paean to the capybara by a famous writer. He describes visiting zoos to see some and a long trek to South America to see more. In Japan there are "capybara cafes" where, for money, you can drink coffee with a capybara while it chews on carrots. The cafes have lines out the door.
The magazine author describes another odd thing. In Florida -- of course -- an animal sanctuary has capybaras. For $35, they will write any message on edible paper ("Happy Birthday, Gunther!") and feed it to the animals. Patrons get to watch their message being eaten on video. The sanctuary calls these "Capygrams."
Weird.
As a person who grew up petting anything my mom would let me.. and some she would rather I didn't - I would pet that giant rodent!
ReplyDeleteWe used to have similar critters (nutria) that my strays would play with. We'd toss cabbages or lettuces for them.
Personally though I'm a fan of the zoo that let's you name the hissing cockroaches after your ex (or person of your choice).
Ha! That's funny. I respect your affection for these rodents but I'm not sure... They say they're as smart as dogs (average dogs) and enjoy being petted. On the other hand, there was a reference in the article to "capybara hotels" where fans can get "closer" to the animals and that weirded me out.
DeleteI think the hotel would be a step too far. There are definitely limits to wild animals. 😜
DeletePeople are weird. We watched a Netflix documentary on Jerry Springer and he had a guest on his show that was married to a pony. I felt bad for the pony.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne
*sigh* Yup.
DeletePeople are weird indeed :-) xxx
ReplyDeleteBut fortunately you and I are not. :)
DeleteYes, people are very selective in what they love (& try to save/protect). I love everything even insects and all the not so cute things lol Doesn't mean I want to cuddle with them all - but I appreciate them lol
ReplyDeleteI admire that attitude. I also respect all life, including animals, insects, plants and even fungi. We're all connected in fundamental ways.
DeleteI had guinea pigs growing up - they are closely related to capybaras - and they are very affectionate and full of personality. I had one that was cuddly, one was very mischievous and one that liked me to chase her.
ReplyDeleteThat's amusing. It's wonderful for humans to relate to other animals. Thanks for your story.
DeleteI like animals but I do find this(and fetishization is a very apt term to describe obsessions with certain animals) a bit bizarre!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. A lot of it is projection.
DeleteOh, weird indeed! I didn't know too much about these animals but they must be trending now - I know that LUSH had a capybara-shaped bath bomb in their holiday collection!
ReplyDeleteOh, my! How interesting and bizarre. Thanks for sharing that information, pal.
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