KUALA LUMPUR: Visitors to the National Zoo’s giant capybara enclosure will now be greeted with not only the usual sign reading ‘Capybara’ but also a second sign below that reads ‘& Oyen’, in honour of an orange stray cat that became the latest official resident at the zoo after it decided to move in with the giant rodents there.
National Zoo vice president, Rosly @ Rahmat Ahmat Lana said since Oyen went viral, it has achieved extra-ordinary popularity for becoming friends and a roommate of the capybaras two or three years ago.
“The ‘& Oyen’ signboard under the ‘Capybara’ sign also serves to inform visitors who may not know about this cat, whose popularity managed to even spread abroad.
“So, when they see the name Oyen, they might be curious enough to find out about the special unique bond shared by these two species,” he told Bernama today.
This friendship turned into the zoo’s latest attraction when a video showing the stray cat Oyen sleeping and hugging the capybaras in the enclosure erupted on social media when the zoo reopened in September 2021.
Rosly also said that the zoo is now taking care of the stray cat, and ensuring that it has nutritious food as well as monitoring its health.
“Initially, Oyen showed up on its own and would survive off the food given to the capybaras, but after a while, we began preparing special food for it.
“Oyen is notoriously hard to get close to, we have tried but it won’t let you touch it, so we monitor its health through its reactions and its droppings, but for now, it is healthy,” he said, adding that a cat’s average lifespan is around 15 years.
The video of the sign’s installation was uploaded on the zoo’s TikTok yesterday, garnering positive reactions and funny comments, some of which celebrated the cat’s successful goal of becoming a permanent resident at the zoo. -Bernama
