Canberra has welcomed its first capybaras, with one-year-old brothers Tejo, Javi and Javiero settling into life at the National Zoo and Aquarium. Their arrival in the nation’s capital is also part of something bigger, as the zoo unveils a new South American precinct and one of Canberra’s more unique event spaces.

They have only just moved into their new habitat, but Canberra’s newest residents are already attracting plenty of attention.

And if their new neighbours needed any convincing of their popularity, National Zoo and Aquarium director Renee Nasserpour received a particularly sweet reminder on the morning of their official introduction.

A young zoo member had created a heart-shaped piece of artwork especially for the three brothers.

“Everyone is already falling in love with them,” Renee said.

“We know that these capybara boys have stolen the hearts of our community.”

Native to South America, capybaras are one of the most popular animal species in the world and have become something of a global phenomenon in recent years, their famously relaxed nature spawning countless memes online and posts on social media.

Zoo owner and founder Richard Tindale admits it was the younger generations of his own family who made him realise just how big the capybara craze had become.

“Capybaras are probably the most popular animal at zoos now, and I learnt that fact very quickly from my grandkids and great-grandkids,” he said.

“They have just become an icon around the world.”

The brothers have only recently ventured into their purpose-built public habitat, complete with a pool that has quickly become a favourite.

Renee said the highly social brothers were close-knit, but their individual personalities were already starting to emerge.

“They are very curious and active,” she said.

“We do have one that’s a bit more spicy than the others, and one who is very much chilled and wants to hang out with the keepers, so we are seeing their different personalities and traits coming through.”

Soon, they won’t be alone.

The capybaras form part of a new South American precinct and will eventually be able to venture into the neighbouring habitat occupied by the zoo’s two female llamas.

Capybara Events Centre

The precinct also features cotton-top tamarins and pygmy marmosets, with an enclosure visible through large glass panels inside the new Capybara Events Centre.

The idea for a dedicated events space had been floating around the zoo for at least five years. Richard said the project had repeatedly found its way into the “too hard basket” until an ACT Government tourism grant provided the motivation to revisit it.

He handed the concept to his wife Maureen and Renee with fairly simple instructions.

“I said, ‘Let’s keep it modest and low key’, and they’re words that don’t fit into either of their vocabularies,” he laughed.

The result is a purpose-built venue overlooking the new animal habitats, designed to host conferences, meetings, functions and even weddings.

Guests can look out towards the capybaras and their South American neighbours or make use of the nearby Viewing Park, while the centre can also operate after the main zoo has closed.

Renee said finding the right location had been crucial.

“We landed on a location that is central, that is connected to our bistro, connected to our playground, connected to our beautiful Viewing Park,” she said.

“The inspiration is really immersing our guests who are going to come and use this facility with our South American precinct.”

The capybaras, she joked, may prove particularly effective at distracting people from whatever conference, meeting or celebration they are supposed to be attending.

“People are quite fascinated by the capybaras; they love to watch their antics, and they’ll become a great ambassador for the function space. Whilst everyone’s here trying to get some work done, maybe, or trying to enjoy a celebration,” she said.

For Richard, both the new arrivals and Events Centre are part of a much longer story of evolution at the National Zoo and Aquarium.

While the zoo and Jamala Wildlife Lodge remain at its heart, additions including the Adventureland playground, Kids Discovery Trail, dinosaurs and megafauna displays and other experiences have been developed to give people new reasons to visit.

“First and foremost, we’ll always be a zoo and a wildlife lodge, but we try to come up with different ideas and different things that will attract new people to the zoo,” he said.

Behind that push is a more serious purpose. Richard said bringing more people through the gates creates more opportunities to educate visitors about wildlife and conservation, particularly children who may return to the zoo again and again as they grow up.

“The more people we can get to come to the zoo, the more that we can impress upon them the importance of the animal kingdom,” he said.

That philosophy will also extend to encounters with Canberra’s new capybaras.

The zoo has already introduced individual and small-group encounters in which visitors can meet and hand-feed the trio, but Richard stressed that interaction would always be on the animals’ terms.

“It’s always up to the animal whether they want to do that or not,” he said. “They can walk away at any point in time.”

And while Canberra is only just getting acquainted with Tejo, Javi and Javiero, there may eventually be more capybaras on the horizon.

Richard said the zoo would likely look at becoming involved in the regional breeding program as the boys grow older, potentially bringing females to Canberra in the future.

For now, though, the three brothers have some settling in to do, some llamas to meet and, judging by their reception so far, plenty of new admirers waiting to meet them.

To learn more or to book at the Capybara Events Centre, visit nationalzoo.com.au/capybara-event-centre