Discovering the Happy Capys on the Suncoast

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - ENGLEWOOD, Fla. — Three capybaras at Suncoast Humane Society in Englewood have grown from animals barely bigger than house cats to weights between 81 and 106 pounds in a little more than a year.The capybaras are named Jane, Betty and Tippi, named for animal rights activists Jane Goodall, Betty White, and Tippi Hedren. They are known as the Happy Capys. The shelter rescued them from a wildlife rescue rehabilitation facility for its Happy Capys program. They serve as animal ambassadors for human education.Weights then and nowJane weighed 17 and a half pounds a little more than a year ago. She now weighs 106 pounds. Tippi weighs 94 pounds. Betty, who was the runt, weighs 81 pounds.Capybaras are native to South America and are the world’s largest rodent. Their name means “grass-eater” in a native South American language.Rescued after a roadside zoo closedAllie Lingenfelter runs the human-animal bond programs at Suncoast Humane Society. She has known the three capyba