A zoo had a happy surprise this month when keepers discovered capybara mum Clementine was in labour.
Just an hour later, she had safely delivered two bouncing baby capybara twins, who are now thriving alongside elder siblings Squash, Marmalade and Tango.
The team of keepers at Drusillas Zoo Park near Alfriston had their suspicions that the pitter-patter of yet more tiny webbed feet might be on the way.
But animal pregnancies can be tricky to confirm and keepers can never be 100 per cent sure if and when infants will arrive.
After a few false alarms earlier in the month Clementine welcomed two new pups on July 3 to create a fabulous family of six.
READ MORE: Zoo welcomes adorable capybara triplets
Despite being introduced to numerous suitors, Clementine did not hit it off with any of her prospective partners and there had been no capybara babies at the zoo for 11 long years.
Then, in 2021, Augustus arrived at the zoo to sweep Clementine off her paws and the cute couple welcomed their first baby, Satsuma, in summer 2022.
Satsuma has now left Drusillas to go and start his own family at Ventura Wildlife Foundation, but Clementine and Augustus’s brood continues to grow, with the twins joining capybara triplets born last September.
The new additions have already been spotted swimming and playing in the pool at the zoo, taking their lead from their big brother and sisters.
Head keeper Gemma Romanis said: “We are so delighted to welcome these adorable capybara babies to the zoo. We thought Clementine was expecting, but didn’t know exactly when the pups would arrive, so it was a lovely surprise to discover her in labour and support her as she gave birth.
“Any baby is special, but it feels really wonderful for Clementine to grow her family again, after the journey she’s had to get here. She really struggled to find a mate she connected with, so the fact that she found ‘the one’ and has now had six babies with him is just lovely.”
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