The key facts
- In the night of October 28, capybara Luna gave birth to triplets at Edinburgh Zoo
- Earlier in May, Luna and Rodney had Bru — the first capybara born in Scotland in 18 years
- The sex and names of the newborns will be known after the upcoming veterinary examination
Triplets after a tangled story
At Edinburgh Zoo, the capybara Luna gave birth to three babies in the night of October 28. The story gained wide attention a few weeks ago, when a photo of two capybaras in a pool spread across social media: zoo staff explained that the one next to the male Rodney was Kali, while her sister Luna turned out to be pregnant. This is reported by the Daily Mail, while Life.ru described the events as a 'love triangle'.
The family's timeline
The sisters Luna and Kali moved to Edinburgh in February 2025 from the British park Jimmy's Farm and Wildlife Park, and two months later Rodney joined them. He grew close to Luna, and in May the pair had a son, Bru — the first capybara born in Scotland in the last 18 years. Now the family has grown by three more babies, who are doing well and staying close to their mother.
The zoo's reaction
Head of animal care Darren McGarry joked that 'capybaras may look cute and innocent, but honestly, their life resembles a real soap opera'According to him, Kali is considered the leader of the group, with Luna deferring to her, while the quiet Rodney unexpectedly turned out to be popular with the females. The only one unhappy with the changes was Bru, who became an internet celebrity: he now has to share attention with his younger brothers and sisters. Zoologists hope he will get used to them.
Natural behaviour
The zoo stresses that such relationships are not an anomaly for capybaras: in the wild, these large South American rodents can have several partners, and lifelong pair bonds are not typical of them. The sex and names of the newborns will be revealed after their first veterinary check-up, scheduled for the coming weeks.
