Marwell Zoo not giving up search for missing capybara Samba

The search for Samba continues as Marwell Zoo vows not to give up on finding the missing capybara. Nine-month-old Samba escaped the zoo, near Winchester, nearly two weeks ago, prompting huge search efforts involving thermal drones and a specialist sniffer dog. Members of the local community and pupils from Twyford school have joined the ongoing search, which has been welcomed by Marwell. The team said they would take long as they need to locate Samba, and have urged members of the public to continue logging any sightings. Laura Read, CEO of Marwell Zoo, said: "We will always follow up on any public sighting. We still have that public number available. She won't evade everybody forever." Read said the capybara's escape had striking similarities to an incident that occurred 30 years ago when two escaped capybaras were found along the same stretch of water at the centre of the current search. "We're not giving up," she said. "When this happened 30 years ago, it took two months to locate and get them back. "We're in it for the long haul. We've got a duty of care and we will exercise that." Samba and her sister, Tango, arrived at the zoo on 16 March after being transferred from Suffolk,