“Unfortunately [capybara] are notoriously difficult – when you take one out of the group and have to put it back they can become quite aggressive towards each other,” Dunn said.
He said as a result, the zoo only removes one from the herd if it was absolutely necessary, which it was in Luna’s case.
“We got Luna the anaesthetic, which she woke up from nicely, but unfortunately on the re-introduction - although it seemed like it was all going well - the girls had a bit of a fight,” Dunn said.
“Rodents have big old teeth and Dia caused a number of wounds on Luna that she was unable to survive.”
He said normally the robust, thick-skinned animals would easily heal from such injuries, but because she had been sick, it was too much for Luna to overcome.
The zoo was still awaiting the blood test results, but Dunn said Luna’s condition was not infectious.
He said capybara have an extremely complicated gut microbiome.
“Unfortunately for Luna, there was something out of balance in her intestinal tract and we’re trying to get to the bottom of what that was.”
The results are due back in the first few days of 2025.
Outpouring of support
Since the news of Luna’s death, the zoo had received a huge outpouring of support from the public, which Dunn said showed just how loved she was.
“The keepers get very close to the animals they work with, and every animal we lose is a big loss. But Luna was very special to them, as well as to our visitors,” Dunn said.
“Capybara are hugely popular; they’re sort of a viral sensation and everyone who’s met Luna in one of our close encounters feels particularly close to her - and our other capybara [Dia].
“There’s been a real show of support from our community, which we’d like to thank everyone for, very much.”
Dia was also receiving extra attention and support from the mammals team, because capybara were herd animals.
“She’s eating well, she’s behaving quite normally, she’s still engaging with the keepers for her training and everything else, so at the moment she’s looking okay.”
New chapter for Dia
But Dia will not have to remain alone for very long.
Plans have been under way for a while for Wellington Zoo to introduce a male capybara to the enclosure as a mate.
But those plans had to be put on hold when Luna got sick.
“We were going to be breeding with our females here, but the loss of Luna means we’ve only got Dia now,” Dunn said.
“So the plan is we’ll be bringing in a male from Brooklands Zoo in New Plymouth, his name is Fernando. Fernando will come in and we’ll introduce those two and they’ll form their own little herd here.”
Dunn said he hoped Fernando and Dia can be introduced within the first few weeks of January.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
