A young capybara being shown at the Ohio Renaissance Festival has sparked backlash online after some say it is experiencing poor living conditions.
On or around Sept. 25, a Redditor on the subreddit r/Cincinnati posted a photo of the capybara in a crate, likely used to transport the animal, and listed multiple concerns of its living conditions. Concerns included the capybara’s young age in a noisy, busy setting, a small enclosure, no access to swimming water with only a dog water bowl available, and no capybara companion.
The capybara is a part of a booth promoting a book featuring a capybara as the main character called “Gilbert the Cranky Capybara Makes a Friend”.
A post on Patrons of the Ohio Renaissance Festival Facebook page explained how the festival operators have investigated concerns for a capybara with Warren County Animal Control.
Warren County’s Chief Humane Officer’s take on the situation
Joanne Hurley, the chief humane officer for Warren County, told the Enquirer that on Saturday, Sept. 27, she went down to the Renaissance Festival for a wellness check on the animal. She was at the festival for about two and a half hours, spending time at the booth and leaving to circle back around and watch the booth.
Hurley said what she’s looking for is if the animal is in a cruel situation. She said after visiting the capybara, she feels good about it. She recalls the animal had an appropriate pen when she visited, including water bowls, food bowls, and a water-litter-box because capybaras poop in water to hide their scent from predators.
Hurley said that when she watched one of the interactions between the capybara and a patron, the animal was “super relaxed,” and the interaction went smoothy. She remembers seeing a little girl interacting with the capybara, and the animal being very interested in the interaction.
“She was scratching it under the chin very appropriately and she sat in one spot, the capybara was allowed to come to her. She wasn’t allowed to chase the capybara down or anything like that. It seemed to really be enjoying its little scratches on the chin. It was even slow blinking, which can be a sign on an animal that it’s relaxed,” Hurley said.
Most of the signs of overstimulation for animals like dogs and cats can also apply to capybara. Hurley said she watched for signs of stress like seeing the whites of the animal’s eyes, a dull and shaggy coat, or if the ears are pinned back in a certain way. Sometimes the animal will also become stiff due to stress or roll up into a ball and back away from people. Hurley did not see any of these signs.
Hurley said she asked the people who run the capybara booth about how they schedule interactions and what they do if the animal gets stressed. She said they had an appropriate closed-in crate where she can not see people and they cannot see her.
The booth runners had appropriate timing in between interactions, Hurley said, “So it wasn’t like she had to perform all day.” She added the booth also had a sign that stated if the capybara was feeling overwhelmed, a patron’s visit may need to be rescheduled.
“It’s not against the law to make money with your animals,” Hurley said, mentioning the festival also has jousting horses and hawks for entertainment.
Ohioans can have a capybara as a pet with the proper permits, but Hurley said the people running the booth are from Kentucky. As long as you fill out the paperwork, capybara pets are permitted in Kentucky, too.
The Enquirer has reached out to the Ohio Renaissance Festival for comment but has not yet received a response.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Renaissance Fest beloved capybara in booth sparks backlash online