A Toronto woman says she “freaked out” after seeing one of two missing capybaras from the High Park Zoo seemingly trying to stay cool under an outdoor fridge in her backyard.
Jasmine Cote was looking after two dogs at her home, near Islington Avenue and The Queensway, at about 1:30 p.m. Friday when the “scared” looking capybara emerged from beneath the refrigerator.
READ MORE: Stealthy night operation planned to recapture missing High Park Zoo capybaras
“Then I saw a capybara come out from underneath my outdoor fridge and it was kind of scary because I didn’t know what it was,” she told Global News.
“I had no idea, a really big squirrel or something that should not be here,” Cote said. “It just terrified me because it was so big and unexpected and I just didn’t want the dogs to go after it or for it to come after the dogs so I kind of freaked out a bit.”
“So I rushed really quickly to put the dogs inside and then it clicked to me that I knew what it was because I saw it on the news a couple of days ago.”
Cote said she called 311 and reported the sighting and city officials told her they would send an email out to High Park Zoo staff to monitor the situation.
“I think he was sitting under my fridge because it’s cold,” Cote said. Temperatures reached a sweltering 28 C in the city Friday.
“Maybe he was hot or something, I don’t know. But it was only for a split second, like a minute maybe, he looked scared and just kind of shifted away under the fence, which leads into the neighbours’ property.”
READ MORE: 2 capybaras on the lam after escaping pen at High Park Zoo
The sighting comes after a missed opportunity Tuesday night, when searchers were unable to capture one of the runaway rodents when it made a return visit to its intended pen.
Some 30 city parks officials and zoo staff have been on the hunt for the missing mammals, which began when the strays — a male and female dubbed Bonnie and Clyde — bolted as the duo were being transferred into their enclosure Tuesday morning.
The somewhat exotic animals — which resemble giant hamsters — are technically the largest rodents in the world, and can weigh up to 100 kg. Bonnie and Clyde weigh around 15 kg each.
The city says capybaras are not considered dangerous but could be “skittish,” and residents are advised to stay away and call 311 if spotted.
If they elude capture for more than five days they’ll have proven better escapees than the peacock that fled the zoo last year. The colourful bird managed to reach several nearby houses, fluttering from roof to roof, before being caught.
With files from Will Campbell, David Shum, Cindy Pom and The Canadian Press
WATCH: Toronto’s great capybara caper continues