Adelaide’s three adorable new baby capybaras have just been named

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Images: Gorge Wildlife Park

If you’ve spent any amount of time scrolling the internet this year, we’re sure you’ve gone down the rabbit hole of discovering social media’s favourite and most viral animal. The capybara has taken the online and offline world by storm for its nonchalant, chill nature, and unique look. There’s songs written about them, memes, and even merchandise all over the shops, making them a favourite for all ages.

So, if you’ve been obsessing over these online, there’s now a chance to see these gorgeous creatures in real life, right here in Adelaide. At the end of August, Gorge Wildlife Park welcomed three baby capybaras to their crew, much to the delight of park visitors. While the public has been able to get a glimpse of these beauties over the spring months, there’s one question everyone’s been asking. What are their names?

Now all has been revealed, as the park gave visitors the chance to submit names and win the ultimate capybara experience. The park accepted name submissions throughout the school holidays, from late September to mid-October. Park attendees were able to write down their picks and pop their choices in a submission box during their visit.

Social media users also joined in with their name suggestions. The suggestions got sillier and sillier, perfectly suited to these animals. Vegemite and Cheese, Tim and Tam, Spaghetti and Bolognese, and of course Capy, were among the favourites. But after much anticipation, the results have now been revealed.

Gorge Wildlife Park shared the official names of the three babies this November, with Herbie, Billie, and Gloria taking the cake! Keeper Kailee shared that they picked the names at random. “We ended up choosing three winners,” she said. “There’s two boys who are now named Billie and Herbie, and our female got the name Gloria.

“It was just a lucky dip. Visitors from the park came in, gave name suggestions, and then at the end of the school holidays, we chose the names from the hat!”

Gloria, Herbie, and Billie come from a family of Capybaras. At the park, you’ll find their mum and dad, the three babies, and three others of different ages. “They’re just like puppies,” said Kailee. “They like to do zoomies around the yard when they have a burst of energy, and love to chase after each other. They’re starting to go into the water a little bit more too.”

The best way to see these guys is with a Capybara Experience. “With our capybara experiences you get to come in with a keeper, learn more about capybaras as well as feed and interact with them. We recommend booking in advance, as capybara encounters are very popular, and the experiences tend to sell out.”

Kailee says they feed them around 10am, then do an encounter, and feed them again in the afternoon, so those are good times to head down and have a look. It all depends on how active they are, with factors like weather playing a big role, so if you want to get up close and personal and encounter is your best bet.

At the park they also do encounters for a whole bunch of animals including reptiles, koalas, meerkats, ring-tailed lemurs and quokkas. Again, they recommend booking these in advance!

So if you’re keen to meet the gorgeous Gloria, Billie, Herbie, and their capybara crew, or simply looking to do something with the family as the school holidays roll around, there’s no better place to do it than Gorge Wildlife Park!