In a Malaysian zoo, visitors can witness a most astonishing spectacle: a cat among a group of capybaras. The cat has lived among them for several years.
A priori, cats and rodents have little chance of peaceful cohabitation, the former were potential predators of the latter. However, there are many exceptions, and Oyen ‘s story is one of them.
In this case, these are not rodents like the others and they are far too large for this ginger cat to be a threat to them. They are, in fact, capybaras and they have made the feline a true member of their family, reports The Marye Sue .
Oyen and his hystricognath friends do not live in the wilderness, but in a zoo. It is not known precisely when the cat took up residence at Zoo Negara in Ampang , on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, but it had started to be seen there during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Not much is known about Oyen ‘s past either . He had most likely lost his mother when he was just a little kitten. Why had he chosen this group of capybaras among the multitude of other animals in the zoo? Perhaps because of their extremely sociable nature. They easily accepted him among them and he has not left their side since.
It is now Oyen and the capybaras that visitors come to see
Today, Oyen is often seen alongside them, especially during meals. However, they do not have the same diet; cats are obviously carnivores, while capybaras are herbivores. This does not prevent them from being together in these moments when everyone eats their fill and enjoys the company of others.
The zoo keepers watch over Oyen and make sure he doesn’t miss anything. Recently, those in charge of the establishment even decided to add a plaque mentioning his name to that indicating the capybara enclosure.
Oyen the “pybara cat” has become very popular with visitors, who enjoy seeing him interact with members of his unlikely but caring family.