Calypso will be remembered fondly by her animal care team.

We are sad to share that Calypso, our 12-year-old capybara, was compassionately euthanized on Jan. 10.  

On that morning, Calypso was observed taking labored breaths and showed limited responsiveness to her keepers. Upon examination, a large mass was found partially blocking her airway. It was decided that the most humane decision was euthanasia due to the high degree of invasiveness of the tumor and a low likelihood of recovery. Her necropsy confirmed that the mass was growing into her airway and skull. It also revealed abnormalities in her adrenal glands, lymph nodes, lungs, heart, kidneys and pituitary gland. We hope to learn more from histopathology, or the microscopic examination of the cells of organs. 

Calypso had a full routine wellness exam in 2023 and was found to be in good health at that time. 

According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the median lifespan for female capybaras is about 8.6 years of age. We are proud to have provided Calypso with excellent care, allowing her to live well into her older years. 

Calypso will be remembered fondly by her dedicated animal care team. This capybara was naturally timid, but once keepers gained her trust, she’d never leave their side while in the yard.  

Calypso loved spending her time rolling in mud puddles and foraging for fresh browse across her habitat. Rainforest Revealed keeper Kayla Mindel even remembers a time Calypsos tested her boundaries by climbing a fence to eat an entire palm tree. 

Kayla had a very close relationship with Calypso. After beginning work with her over five years ago, Calypso quickly became Kayla’s favorite animal to work with.  

“Calypso would often greet me with little chirps and squeaks when I would go into her habitat,” remembers Kayla. “She would always flap her ears when she was excited or happy, and they looked like little butterflies.” 

Calypso especially loved receiving scratches from Kayla behind her ears and showing off her smarts during training sessions.  

“She was a ray of sunshine and will truly be missed,” said Kayla.