The Cape May County Zoo welcomed two baby capybaras, known as pups, on Sunday, Oct. 26, with more on the way soon.
Buttercup, a female capybara, is the mother. Marigold, another female, is due to give birth any day now. Buttercup and Marigold were each impregnated by the same father, Goomba. He is a 3-year-old male brought to the zoo over a year ago as part of a species survival plan.
Almost all of the breeding animals at the Cape May County Zoo are part of that plan, orchestrated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The Association, led by zoologists with a deep knowledge of the animals in question, works with accredited zoos to boost both the wild and captive populations of certain species.
Goomba, for example, was brought to Cape May County from another zoo because he is a good genetic match for any of the zoo’s three female capybaras.
Goomba’s successful impregnation of the two females was first announced in July. A Facebook post from the zoo said on July 7: “Goomba is a famous actor who starred in the zoo’s very own version of ‘The Bachelor.’ He caused quite a scandal when he gave his final rose to TWO contestants, and was recently spotted canoodling with another contestant whom he had rejected earlier on the show.”
Common animals like the capybara, which flourish in the wild and are not endangered, still need a diverse and plentiful captive population to ensure that future offspring come from a diverse gene pool. To that end, Goomba has been highly successful.
The zoo wrote on Facebook that Marigold is due in early November.
Contact the author, Collin Hall, at 609-886-8600, ext. 156
