A TikTok video from The New York Times (@nytimes) captured the unusual sight of capybaras strolling through an exclusive Argentine gated community.
What’s happening?
The video shows that dozens of capybaras have colonized this upscale neighborhood, treating expensive gardens like personal salad bars and using roads as their preferred walking paths.
These rodents have been holding up traffic during their strolls, chomping through costly landscaping, and occasionally getting into scuffles with small dogs.
Biologists hired by the community learned why the population exploded: Their natural predators had vanished from the area. The capybaras multiply freely without jaguars, caimans, and other hunters keeping numbers in check.
“God forbid! They roam through what is their natural habitat that you turned into a gated community,” one TikTok commenter wrote.
To manage the growing population, developers now sterilize some capybaras through a project approved by the local government.
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Why is this concerning?
This capybara invasion is part of a growing global problem as human development pushes deeper into wildlife territory. Research shows that human-wildlife conflicts have steadily increased since 1950, mainly driven by urban sprawl and habitat destruction.
When we build communities where animals once lived freely, we force wildlife into impossible situations. The capybaras aren’t invading. They’re trying to survive in what used to be their wetland home. As their natural habitats shrink, these gentle giants adapt by making the best of concrete and gr***.
For humans, these encounters create real dangers. Property damage from hungry capybaras adds up quickly, and confrontations between large animals and pets rarely end well, according to the BBC. More concerning, such conflicts often result in wildlife being killed, hindering conservation efforts long term.
What’s being done about this?
The community is taking a humane approach by sterilizing capybaras rather than removing them. This method controls population growth while recognizing that these animals have legitimate claims to the area.
You can help prevent similar conflicts by supporting habitat conservation in your community. When planning development projects, advocate for wildlife corridors that allow animals to move safely through human areas.
Supporting wetland protection ensures capybaras and other wildlife have places to thrive without raiding suburban neighborhoods.
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