Samba’s plight not only made local news, it sparked interest from stations across the world, which soon picked up on the story of the capybarra on the run.
Australia’s Channel 7’s Sunrise, external hosts discussed the search at length, while CBS News Chicago, external reported on the capybara “missing in the village of Hampshire”.
Social media also joined in with AI memes of Samba in all kinds of scenarios – from hairdressers to pubs, airports to ferries.
But despite all the publicity, suspected sightings and painstaking searching through the Hampshire countryside, Samba remains at large.
The zoo’s website is still appealing, external for anyone who spots Samba to take a picture and share it, along with the exact location, to help with efforts to track her down.