Experience the ultimate zen at Big Cat Habitat with Capybara Yoga, a unique class where gentle stretching and a relaxed atmosphere meet the world’s largest and most charming rodents. If yoga is not your thing, try Capys & Coffee for an enjoyable morning experience. This coffee date offers early park entry, a complimentary beverage and a tasty breakfast treat, all while you meet, feed and capture photos with these lovable creatures. Big Cat Habitat’s Marketing & Events Director, Renee Ferreira, oversees the events with the five capybaras who currently reside at the Habitat, which has maintained the species for 15 years. The herd includes parents and offspring named with a recognizable theme. “We started off first with a male capabara, then we got a female and decided to name them Travis and Taylor. One thing led to another and Travis and Taylor produced two really adorable babies who were born in June 2025. We made a big announcement and had a naming contest to let the community help us name the two babies and we ended up with Chief and Swifty. Then we found out they were both boys, so they became Chief and Swift, who, at just one year old, are actually considered our teenagers.” Big Cat Habitat currently houses 300 animals with more than 65 different species. Big cats are the first thing that comes to mind when people think of them, but Ferreira explains that the Habitat has long been taking in animals needing a forever home; they’ve always had a hard time saying no, which has resulted in an accumulation of a lot of different animal species. “We’ve had capybaras long before they were a fad, probably for around 15 years,” she says. “Now the species has gone viral on social media, so it’s pretty cool and our events are more popular than ever.”
At the Habitat, the capybaras interact with their capybara friends and with humans, but in the wild, Ferreira explains, they are a very peaceful animal. “You might find them floating in the water with a bird or even a small monkey floating along with them. Sometimes a turtle might even take a ride on their back—they’re incredibly chill.” Ferreira shares that the mostly aquatic capybaras spend their days swimming by the waterfall, enjoying hand-delivered vegetarian breakfasts and napping. With webbed feet and the ability to hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes, they’re built for the water. On event days like Capybara Yoga or Capys & Coffee, they greet visitors for treats, scratches and attention before heading back for another swim. Since capybaras can grow up to 4½ feet long and weigh between 60 and 180 pounds, the animal handlers, who are mostly women, have learned to lift with their legs. They also recently purchased a special “capybara bus” that the animals can walk into and be transported around in. “Here at Big Cat Habitat, we love the human and animal connection and so funds from all of our animal encounters go directly to the animals,” says Ferreira, noting that the yoga program has helped the Habitat raise over $150,000 since 2019. “You may be attending an adorable yoga class when you visit, but you’re also making a really big difference by spending the morning with us.” —B. Heit bigcathabitat.org
