ANIMAL FRIENDS
INCREDIBLE
BY KITSON JAZYNKA
JANICE WOLF / ROCKY RIDGE REFUGE (BOTH)FEBRUARY 2020 • NAT GEO KIDS (^5)
WEIGHT 66 to 155
pounds
RANGE South America
CLAIM TO FAME
The capybara is the
world’s largest rodent.
LISTEN UP
Capybaras make a loud
barking sound when
they’re in danger. They
can also purr and whistle.
Midway, Arkansas
Like a mother duck leading her babies, Cheesecake the capybara is at the head
of a parade. But her followers aren’t ducklings, or even baby capybaras. They’re
abandoned dachshund puppies. The seven pups love to wrestle with their rodent
babysitter. When they tire of playing, the dachshunds march into Cheesecake’s
heated pen and curl up next to the capybara in a supersize puppy pile.
The day the orphaned dachshunds arrived, Rocky Ridge Refuge owner Janice
Wolf didn’t have much time to prepare. Cheesecake’s pen was the only place to
keep the tiny pups. “Cheesecake was thrilled to have the puppies,” Wolf
says. But if the pups are naughty—like when they try to grab hay
out of the capybara’s mouth—Cheesecake isn’t afraid to
discipline them. “She makes a cute little squeaky noise
to scold them,” Wolf says.
Capybaras are semiaquatic animals with partially
webbed feet. So Cheesecake spends much of her
time in water when she’s not playing with pups.
“I made her a pen outside with a pool,” Wolf
says. This way, the pups could watch Cheese-
cake play in the water. The dachshunds have
since been adopted, but a new litter of
orphaned pups have arrived. “I keep an
eye on them,” Wolf says. “But Cheese-
cake does all the work. She’s the best
nanny ever.”
CAPYBARA
PLAYS
WITH PUPPIES
CAPYBARA
ORIGIN Most experts believe
that dachshunds were first
bred in Germany to hunt
badgers.
MAKES SENSE In German,
dachs means badger and hund
means dog.
HOT DOG Because of its
shape, this pup is sometimes
called a “sausage dog.”
FIRST POOCH President
Grover Cleveland had a pet
dachshund in the White House.
DACHSHUND
I’m cute
enough
for the
both
of us.
Stop
hoggIng
the
capybara.
CHEESECAKE