{"id":12692,"date":"2024-09-28T03:08:47","date_gmt":"2024-09-28T03:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/how-cinnamons-great-shropshire-escape-led-to-capybara-craze\/"},"modified":"2024-09-28T03:08:47","modified_gmt":"2024-09-28T03:08:47","slug":"how-cinnamons-great-shropshire-escape-led-to-capybara-craze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/how-cinnamons-great-shropshire-escape-led-to-capybara-craze\/","title":{"rendered":"How Cinnamon’s great Shropshire escape led to capybara craze"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"HooHoo Zoo and Dinosaur World<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Social media users joked Cinnamon had gone on a pub crawl to celebrate her first birthday<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
\n

A young capybara’s escape from a zoo a fortnight ago gripped animal lovers across the globe.<\/p>\n

Cinnamon’s Friday 13th flit from Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Shropshire has inspired memes, merchandise, and a song<\/a>, which staff have on repeat.<\/p>\n

Her keepers tell the BBC about the stress and celebrations of the week she went Awol and the impact on the small, family-run site.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"HooHoo Zoo and Dinosaur World<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Cinnamon is now safely back in her enclosure with mum Chincha, dad Chimu and brother Churro<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

‘Living her best life’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\n

Cinnamon fled her enclosure via a gate left accidentally open on 13 September<\/a>, after being startled by a tractor mower. <\/p>\n

Keepers realised within minutes the springer spaniel-sized rodent had slunk off to an adjacent area of long grass and woodland, and began to stake it out.<\/p>\n

But, by the following night she had escaped beyond the zoo’s perimeter and owners Will and Becky Dorrell issued an appeal for help. <\/p>\n

She was quickly located by a thermal drone in a zoo-owned conservation area, just 200m from its perimeter.<\/p>\n

As rescuers slowly zoomed in, reluctant to scare her away, people around the world began to delight in the coverage of her escapades.<\/p>\n

An off-the-cuff comment Will made during an interview, that Cinnamon was probably “living her best life”<\/a>, made it into headlines across the world<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Every single story I’d see pop up on Facebook or everything else had that quote in it,” Will said. “There’s so much bad news about I think people wanted a bit of light relief.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"HooHoo Zoo and Dinosaur World<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Cinnamon was located in an area next to the zoo by a local resident’s thermal drone<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
\n

Meanwhile, zoo staff who had volunteered to work around the clock to find her were running on adrenalin. <\/p>\n

Will said: “For my wife and I it was a terrible week. We were both living on about two hours sleep a night.”<\/p>\n

He described her eventual capture<\/a> on 20 September as “a bit of a hairy situation”, with rescuers wading into a pond to coax her into a cage.<\/p>\n

“None of us wanted to celebrate or anything else until she was back in the paddock.”<\/p>\n

Only then did the tired staff breathe a huge, collective sigh of relief. “We’re all exceptionally happy over it,” he added. “There was a big celebration for the staff.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"HooHoo Zoo and Dinosaur World<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Will Dorrell, (fifth from the right), with wife Becky (far left) and the team who helped recapture Cinnamon<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
\n

The team has been shocked by the interest in Cinnamon’s story.<\/p>\n

“It was really nice… that everyone wanted an update – everyone seemed invested in the story,” Will said.<\/p>\n

But global coverage also ramped up the pressure. “We obviously got the best possible outcome… We got her back, she was fit, healthy,” he said.<\/p>\n

“But things can go wrong, and things can go catastrophically wrong, and that was always our concern.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"HooHoo Zoo and Dinosaur World<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Cinnamon, who turned one on 14 September, is about three quarters of her adult size<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
\n

Other than a minor graze on her nose, the capybara was remarkably unharmed by her exploits and even “had a bit of a belly” after a week of fending for herself.<\/p>\n

“She’s got a little bit cheekier because she’s looking round her paddock now and sticking her head up to look over the other side,” Will said.<\/p>\n

“She’s clever, which is probably why she managed to escape and why she took so long to catch.”<\/p>\n

One comment on the zoo’s Facebook page following her recapture summed up the public mood: “Awww so glad she’s back safe! Never been so worried about an animal I’ve never met.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"HooHoo Zoo and Dinosaur World<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

While the zoo is home to about 100 different species, Cinnamon is undoubtedly now the star attraction<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
\n

While Cinnamon retreated from the limelight for a week for some R and R, other followers suggested what the zoo might do next.<\/p>\n

“They should write a children’s book now to sell! Cinnamon, the great Escape or Cinnamon’s – living her best life! \ud83d\ude02 think of the merch they can make now!” said one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"HooHoo Zoo and Dinosaur World<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Cinnamon, pictured with her twin brother, will be treated to watermelon and bananas at her belated first birthday party next month<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

‘Rumours of a movie’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\n

The zoo confirmed its new star attraction would get a belated first birthday party on 12 October, featuring a hunt for her pictures around the site. <\/p>\n

Now the danger has passed, “we’d probably be stupid not to capitalise a little bit”, Will said. <\/p>\n

Cinnamon teddies, magnets and clothing are now available, with 100 orders in the first day alone.<\/p>\n

“Now that we know that she’s fit and healthy and she’s safe, we can have a bit of fun with it,” he added.<\/p>\n

A children’s book is in the works, and even rumours about a film. <\/p>\n

But, Will confirmed Hollywood had not called yet. “I keep hearing rumours of a movie, but we haven’t yet been approached by anyone.”<\/p>\n

Cinnamon is back on public display on Saturday, and is expected to pull in the crowds.<\/p>\n

“Last Saturday was very, very busy – busier than we would expect it to be for a Saturday in September,” Will said. “I’d say the proof will be in the next couple of weeks.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n