Samba the capybara is still on the run. More than seven months after escaping from Marwell Zoo in Hampshire, the young female has been caught on camera again — and keepers now know where she is living, but still cannot simply go and bring her home.
Marwell Zoo issued a fresh update on Wednesday 4 November 2026: “Following our update on 27 October, Samba is still being sighted in the same area, and our team is continuing to work towards bringing her safely home to Marwell Zoo.” The zoo asked the public not to share sightings and to respect the privacy of the area where she is located.
An escape on day one
Samba’s adventure began on 17 March 2026, just one day after she and her sister Tango arrived at Marwell Zoo from Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park in Suffolk. While their new habitat was being completed, the pair were in a temporary holding area. Both escaped; Tango was quickly retrieved, but Samba kept going.
She was spotted several times in the months that followed, including by a dog walker who saw the large rodent sitting on a river bank before she jumped into the water after being startled by a barking dog. Then the sightings stopped. It was not until August that new photographic evidence confirmed her whereabouts, and in October wildlife cameras produced fresh images of her on private land.
A slow, careful recovery
“Recovering Samba is a gradual and carefully managed process,” the zoo said on 27 October. “Although we know the area she is in, it isn’t simply a case of being able to approach and collect her.” Staff have installed additional wildlife cameras and established a feeding area, encouraging her to become familiar with the location and return regularly.
The zoo is keeping the exact location confidential because Samba is on private land, and any disturbance could frighten her away and hinder the recovery. Capybaras are the world’s largest rodents, and Samba — a one-year-old when she escaped — has now survived more than 230 days in the English countryside, through spring, summer and autumn. Whether she can survive the winter outdoors remains an open question, and it is one reason keepers say the careful recovery is urgent.
Sources: Marwell Zoo official Samba Updates page (27 Oct and 4 Nov 2026); BBC via Hello Rayo, 27 Oct 2026; BritBrief, 28 Oct 2026.
