The Palm Beach Zoo is in mourning following the death of the capybara Ares after he experienced complications during surgery.
The pup became ill and died following oral surgery, "despite efforts to support him through his illness," Dr. Carrie Ulmer, the zoo's vice president of animal care, said in a Facebook post.
"Losses like this are heartbreaking for us all, as we've poured heart and soul into rearing him from a young age," Ulmer wrote.
Capybaras are called the world's largest rodent. They are barrel-shaped with reddish-brown hair and narrow eyes. They are native to most nations in South American and are highly social, living in groups of 10 to 20 and sometimes as large as 100.
Ares was born just this spring to parents Zeus and Iyari. His siblings,
Apollo and Artemis, are still alive and well and receiving care from the staff at the zoo, in Dreher Park off Summit Boulevard.
"Ares was exceptionally smart, quick to learn, and had quiet, gentle sweetness that made him stand out right away. Though he was the smallest of his siblings, he took up the biggest space in our hearts. I will always remember him sitting at the edge of the pond, calmly watching him family swim," Devin Clarke, senior supervisor of primates and mammals, wrote in the Facebook post.
Currently Ares' family is doing well, and mom Iyari is receiving care and monitoring from the zoo staff as she goes through her second pregnancy of the year, which was announced this month.
Arianna Otero covers breaking news for The Palm Beach Post. Contact her via email at AOtero@pbpost.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Ares, Palm Beach Zoo's beloved capybara pup, dies after surgery
