A stray cat has been the star attraction at Malaysia’s national zoo ever since it started living among a herd of capybaras.
Thousands of visitors now flock to see Oyen the ginger cat at Zoo Negara every weekend. It is doubling visitor numbers on some days, says the zoo’s vice-president, Rosly Rahmat Ahmat Lana.
“Every day, more than nine-tenths of the visitors are here just to see Oyen. He is very popular,” Rosly says.
Zookeepers aren’t sure when Oyen moved into the Kuala Lumpur zoo’s capybara enclosure. However, they believe he was abandoned at the zoo during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ginger tabby cat has gone viral on social media. Video clips show him lounging around the enclosure and snuggling with the capybaras, who are not bothered 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 says that Zoo Negara is feeding Oyen and caring for the cat’s health. It plans to find him a partner in hopes of establishing a capybara-friendly cat family.
“Unlike before, Oyen is now docile and approachable. Should Oyen fall ill one day, it will be easy for us to hold and treat him,” he says.
Capybaras are the world’s largest rodents. Over the last two years they have been growing in popularity on the internet because of their calm behaviour and droopy expressions.
