Zoo's new capybara home as Samba search continues

A zoo has introduced its capybaras residents to their new enclosure while teams continue to search for one that escaped earlier this year.

Marwell Zoo, near Winchester in Hampshire, said it has not given up the hunt for one-year-old Samba, who attracted global interest after she went on the run in the Hampshire countryside in March.

Samba's sister Tango was left alone at the zoo until earlier this month when staff introduced a male capybara called Ripple.

On Friday, Tango and Ripple moved into their new home for the first time.

In a post on Facebook, the zoo said the pair will share the space alongside a sitatunga antelope.

It said the search for Samba continues and "her welfare remains a priority for the team".

It encouraged members of the public who think they have spotted Samba to take a photo of her and send it to Marwell Zoo, along with the exact location.

Samba escaped from the zoo on 17 March, less than 24 hours after arriving.

She managed to break free from a temporary enclosure with Tango, who was swiftly recaptured.

Samba, described as the more adventurous of the two, has remained at large ever since.

Over the past four months, the young capybara has been spotted in a number of locations, including near a pub and basking on a riverbank.

On 6 July, search teams were sent to the Brambridge area after a fisherman reported a credible sighting at the end of June.

Despite extensive efforts involving thermal-imaging drones and a specialist sniffer dog, Samba has so far evaded capture.