Eight people arrested in Brazil for brutal attack on capybara

According to Police Commissioner Felipe Santoro, this brutal crime caused widespread public outcry. The suspects, including two minors, were identified from camera footage and were detained the same day, police said.

The injured male capybara weighing about 65 kg was taken to the Center for the Rescue of Wild Animals (CRAS), operating at the private Estacio University in the southwest of the city. The head of the center and veterinarian Jefferson Pires noted that in 22 years of working with wild animals in Rio, this is the first time he has encountered such a cruel case of treatment of a capybara. According to him, the animal’s condition has improved, but he was diagnosed with a head injury, swelling with internal hemorrhage in the left eye and numerous back injuries.

In recent years, semi-aquatic capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), native to South America, have become especially popular on the Internet. Animals often become the heroes of memes on social networks and evoke sincere affection among users.