View Images These capybaras, nicknamed Bonnie and Clyde by the public, are hiding in Toronto. 
 
 Photograph by Richard Lautens, Toronto Star/Getty Images 
 
 Most people do their best to avoid rodents of unusual size. But after a pair of capybaras escaped from Toronto’s High Park Zoo on May 24, the Canadian city’s residents have taken to the streets (and social media) in an attempt to help officials find the giant rodents and lure them back into captivity. 
 
 Easier said than done. It’s been more than three weeks since the pair, now nicknamed Bonnie and Clyde, made a break for it while being transferred to a new enclosure. And so far, attempts to recapture the rodents of interest have come up empty handed. 
 
 The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is native to semi-tropical areas of South America, from Venezuela on down to Argentina. But the High Park capybaras have clearly found a way to make do in urban Toronto. 
 
 “Capybaras are pretty adaptive animals,” says Luciano Verdade, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Sao Paolo in Brazil. 
 
 Verdade says that they can eat other plants in absence of their native grasses, inhabit both wetlands and forest fragments, and switch between being active during the day and night. 
 
 “Last but not least, although they are relatively large animals, they can be deceptive in the proximity of humans,” says Verdade. 
 
 Largest Rodents On Earth 
 
 When it comes to the title of the world’s largest living rodent, all bow before the beefy wonder that is the capybara. 
 
 In the wild, Verdade says capybaras usually top out at 175 pounds (~80 kg), though in captivity some specimens have been known to push past 220 pounds (100 kg). They can grow over four feet long (~1.3 meters), but their build is short, squat, and barrel-like—usually growing no taller than a human thigh. 
 
 Like other rodents, capybaras have serious chompers that continuously grow as they’re ground down by gnawing. While these incisors make for formidable weapons against those who get too close, capybara are a favorite meal for caimans, jaguars, and anacondas. 
 
 In many of the countries where they are common, capybaras are also eaten by humans. 
 
 “The meat is sort of like a rabbit’s, halfway between white and dark,” says Rexford D. Lord, a retired ecologist and capybara expert. “It’s good. It’s really tender and tasty.” 
 
 Though the instances are rare, capybaras have been known to bite humans from time to time. But residents of Toronto probably need not worry—the rodents are far more likely to retreat than stand and bite. 
 
 “The capybara is semi-aquatic,” says Lord. “When it senses danger, it dashes toward the nearest deep water at a gallop. Then it slams into the water and disappears.” 
 
 The animals will even swim in different directions underwater so as to resurface far away from where a predator might expect. Once in the water, a capybara can keep its entire body submerged, exposing just its eyes and nostrils. 
 
 This is bad news for those who would see the escapees in Toronto returned to their pen, because the High Park Zoo is surrounded by several bodies of water. 
 
 View Images One of the animals was spotted in a drainage pond in High Park Monday. 
 
 Photograph by Lucas Oleniuk, Toronto Star/Getty Images 
 
 Winter is Coming 
 
 The most immediate threat to the AWOL capybaras is probably trying to dodge vehicles while crossing a road. But if the animals somehow evade capture for the rest of the summer, another danger looms. 
 
 “They evolved for where they live, and they do well there,” says Lord. But the capybaras do not possess the necessary fat reserves or thick coats of animals that must endure harsh northern winters. 
 
 Some capybaras illegally released in the southern United States have shown resilience against light snow, says Verdade. But that’s nothing compared to the conditions the creatures would face in Canada. 
 
 “I do not believe they would survive the winter in Toronto,” says Verdade. 
 
 Watch an anaconda devour a capybara. ||||| A capybara that has eluded capture for more than two weeks was spotted Friday morning by our very own Breakfast Television cameraman Bertram Dandy. 
 
 One of the two missing capybaras was seen swimming at the south end of High Park, near The Queensway, and then clambering up a bank. 
 
 #HighParkCapybara taking a morning dip! Thanks to @BTtoronto camera man Bert D for tracking him down ! @311Toronto pic.twitter.com/dfk1ETaCPQ — Brendan O'Mahony (@bomahony) June 10, 2016 
 
 Dandy says he was just setting up his camera for a weather shot when he spotted the capybara right at his feet. 
 
 “She was right there! And she was ninja-still. It looked like a log,” Dandy said. 
 
 The two female capybaras escaped from their pen at the High Park Zoo on May 24, as zoo workers were moving a third capybara into the enclosure. 
 
 One of them was spotted on June 5, but was not captured. City staff said traps were set the next morning. 
 
 Capybaras are the world’s largest rodents. Fully grown, they can reach over four feet in height and can weigh as much as 140 pounds – they also look like large guinea pigs. They enjoy swimming and don’t like children. 
 
 The escape led to the nicknames Bonnie and Clyde (perhaps Thelma and Louise would have been better) for the pair, a parody Twitter account, an online video game, and joking comments from Mayor John Tory about forming a search party. 
 
 However, the zoo could be in real trouble, an animal welfare group told the CBC. A representative for ZooCheck said that the zoo could face charges under the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, especially given the zoo’s history. 
 
 This isn’t the first time an animal has run free from the High Park Zoo. 
 
 Almost exactly a year ago, the High Park Peacock escaped from the zoo and was on the loose in Toronto for days before returning home on its own. 
 
 In 2009, six animals – four llamas, one yak and one wallaby – escaped from the zoo after someone opened their enclosures. ||||| The City of Toronto has set out traps for two elusive capybaras that have been missing for more than two weeks. 
 
 The two female capybaras escaped from their pen at the High Park Zoo on May 24, as zoo workers were moving a third capybara into the enclosure. 
 
 One of them was spotted on June 5, but was not captured. City staff said traps were set the next morning. 
 
 The traps could be seen at High Park on Thursday. 
 
 Related stories: 
 
 One of two missing capybaras spotted in High Park 
 
 Two capybaras still on the loose after escaping High Park Zoo 
 
 Capybaras are so yesterday: Search on for Brampton alligator 
 
 Capybaras are the world’s largest rodents. Fully grown, they can reach over four feet in height and can weigh as much as 140 pounds – they also look like large guinea pigs. They enjoy swimming and don’t like children. 
 
 The escape led to the nicknames Bonnie and Clyde (perhaps Thelma and Louise would have been better) for the pair, a parody Twitter account, an online video game, and joking comments from Mayor John Tory about forming a search party. 
 
 However, the zoo could be in real trouble, an animal welfare group told the CBC. A representative for ZooCheck said that the zoo could face charges under the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, especially given the zoo’s history. 
 
 This isn’t the first time an animal has run free from the High Park Zoo. 
 
 Almost exactly a year ago, the High Park Peacock escaped from the zoo and was on the loose in Toronto for days before returning home on its own. 
 
 In 2009, six animals – four llamas, one yak and one wallaby – escaped from the zoo after someone opened their enclosures. ||||| It started last month when workers at a Paso Robles wastewater treatment plant noticed what appeared to be a giant rodent roaming the facility.The creature eventually swam toward the Salinas River and disappeared from sight, but not before worker Nick Kamp had taken a few photos. He and a co-worker called the California Department of Fish and Game to report what they had seen. Responding wardens used the pictures to confirm that the animal was in fact a capybara — an adult they believe weighs 100 to 120 pounds.This week, Kamp's photos went viral on the Internet as news spread of the rare sighting. Capybaras are native to South America and usually aren't found in the United States except in zoos."He seemed pretty content," Kamp said of the creature. "He was pretty happy in there."The semiaquatic capybara is the world's largest rodent and prefers swampy, marshy habitats. It's illegal to own a capybara as a pet in California, so authorities believe the animal either was released by or escaped from an owner a few years ago and has been roaming Paso Robles ever since."Somebody probably brought it in as a pet, and they either got away or people couldn't deal with it anymore," Fish and Game spokesman Andrew Hughan said.The rodents — which can grow to the size of a large dog — aren't dangerous, "just weird-looking," Hughan said.It's not the first time a capybara has been spotted in Paso Robles. Game wardens received a report about three years ago of a capybara in a pond near Hunter Ranch Golf Course, but because there were no other sightings and beavers live in the area, they thought it was a mistake.Eight months later, a man said a large rodent-like creature scared his horses away and started eating the hay he was feeding them. The man eventually fired a gun in the direction of the animal as it chased his dog. He then called wildlife officials after it left the property. Wardens confirmed that footprints at the scene were that of a capybara.No other sightings were reported until three weeks ago at the wastewater plant, though Kamp said another co-worker said he had seen a strange animal at the plant but wasn't sure what it was.No other capybara sightings have been reported in California, Hughan said. The rodents have been spotted in other states over the years. In Florida, sightings are common; some experts believe a wild capybara population exists after a few rodents escaped from a research facility in 2001.Wardens are prepared to set traps for the Paso Robles capybara, but because the animal appears healthy and isn't harming the area, the department's policy is to allow it to remain wild, Hughan said. That could change, he warned, if hunters and trappers go after the animal."You can't hunt that thing," Hughan said. "If we see people out there with nets and traps trying to catch it, we may take a more aggressive stance for the protection of the animal."Though capybaras aren't predatory toward humans, experts said that anyone who spots the rodent shouldn't approach it."Like any wild animal, they're going to defend themselves, so we wouldn't want anybody to get close to it," said Lt. Todd Tognazzini of Fish and Game.The ultimate goal, officials said, is for the animal to be left alone."We hope that it lives a happy capybara life in Paso Robles," Hughan said.
– A #CapybaraWatch hashtag is making the rounds online in the hopes that the public can help track down two giant capybaras that flew the coop of a Toronto zoo more than two weeks ago, National Geographic reports. The aptly nicknamed Bonnie and Clyde made a run for it on May 24 as they were being relocated to a different enclosure at High Park Zoo. Capybaras, native to South America, are known as the world's largest rodents, weighing as much as a grown man (up to 220 pounds in captivity, less in the wild) and reaching a length of 4 feet. What could make finding these two escapees difficult: They adapt well to new environments, can make do with plants that usually aren't on their dinner plates, and can hide out quite well in the water—and the zoo is surrounded by lots of it. What Toronto residents don't have to worry too much about with Bonnie and Clyde, who've already earned their own Twitter parody account, is being attacked: Although there have been occasional reports of the creature biting humans, "when it senses danger, it dashes toward the nearest deep water at a gallop," a capybara expert tells National Geographic. Oddly enough, even though the rodents are huge as far as rodents go, they may not be simple to spot. "They can be deceptive in the proximity of humans," a University of Sao Paulo wildlife ecologist says. Still, rescuers may be getting closer: CityNews notes traps were set out around Toronto after one of the creatures was spotted Sunday, and a CityNews reporter had another sighting Friday morning when he saw one of the animals taking a dip in a pond in High Park. (A worker at a California water-treatment plant ran into a capybara a few years back—and his pics went viral.)