Female capybara comes to Florida zoo [Video]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A female capybara has arrived at a Florida zoo as part of a breeding program to bolster the population of the large South American rodents.

Iyari, a 10-month-old capybara, went to the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society in May from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. She’s in a mixed-species habitat with a couple of Baird’s tapirs, which live in similar habitats in South America, while zoo workers slowly introduce her to the park’s 2-year-old male capybara, Zeus.

“We think that there’s a little bit of love in the air,” Palm Beach Zoo curator of animal experiences Mike Terrell said. “Whenever they look at each other from afar, we kind of see that look in their eyes like, ‘Hey, I want to hang out with them a little bit more.’ So everything right now is very positive.”

Iyari’s move to South Florida began …