Marquette, Michigan – May 30, 2014 – Over Memorial Day weekend, I went to the Wildwood Wildlife Park and Nature Center in Minocqua, the second largest zoo in Wisconsin.
The park had a lot of interesting exhibits and several “animal encounter” areas where you can interact with the animals. I had a cute little baby goat fall asleep leaning against my leg while I rubbed his ears.
One of the first things I saw after walking through the petting zoo was a little hut with glass that housed the marmocets and tamarins. These squirrel-sized primates were fascinating to watch as they capered around their enclosures.
I spent a lot of time walking around the zoo looking for the capybara enclosure. Capybaras are the world’s largest rodent and if you like guinea pigs, you’re going to love capys!
When I finally found the capybara enclosure, the poor little guys were all tuckered out (it was pretty hot out) and they were resting in their hut. The only movement in there was when one of them opened his eye to look at me. I was hoping they’d be a little more active. Oh, well. I guess I’ll just have to go back when the weather is a little cooler.
I had no idea capybara existed until a couple years ago when my daughter showed me a picture of a guinea pig riding one, both of them dressed up in matching outfits.
I’ve since found out this was a picture of Caplin Rous the capybara and his guinea pig friend, Hello Pineapple. You can read more about them and learn all about capybaras at Capybara Madness.
Hopefully when we go back to Minocqua the capybaras will be a little more active. Here’s a few pictures of the animals at the zoo.
