Orange cat adopted by capybaras at Malaysia zoo turns into smash hit, drawing thousands of visitors
- Oyen the ginger cat has become Zoo Negara’s star attraction after it was moved into the world’s largest rodents’ enclosure
- ‘Every day, 95 per cent of the visitors are here just to see Oyen,’ the wildlife park’s vice-president said
Thousands of parkgoers now flock to see Oyen the ginger cat at Zoo Negara every weekend, doubling visitor numbers on some days, the zoo’s vice-president, Rosly Rahmat Ahmat Lana, told Bernama.
“Every day, 95 per cent of the visitors are here just to see Oyen. He is very popular,” Rosly told the news agency on Tuesday.
Zookeepers aren’t sure when Oyen moved into the Kuala Lumpur park’s capybara enclosure, but they believe he was abandoned at the zoo during the Covid-19 pandemic, Rosly told Free Malaysia Today.
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The ginger tabby has repeatedly gone viral on social media, via clips of him lounging around the enclosure and snuggling with the capybaras, who seem unperturbed by their feline visitor.
Zoo Negara officially introduced Oyen as part of the enclosure in June, when it added his name to the exhibit.
Rosly told Bernama that Zoo Negara is feeding Oyen and monitoring the cat’s health, and plans to find him a partner in hopes of establishing a capybara-inclined cat bloodline.
“Unlike before, Oyen is now docile and approachable. Should Oyen fall ill one day, it will be easy for us to hold and treat it,” he said.
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Capybaras, the world’s largest rodents, have over the last two years been growing in popularity on the internet for their calm temperament and droopy demeanour, featuring in thousands of viral memes.
Zoo Negara did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
