Zoo Negara Officially Creates Plaque For Oyen That's Been Living In The Capybara Enclosure
Oyen will be there today, Oyen will be there tomorrow, Oyen will be there forever.
By Wayne Garreth — 27 Jun 2023, 03:02 PM
A little ginger cat has been spotted around the capybara enclosure in Zoo Negara for a number of years, with the zoo even naming it Oyen.
And as of last Sunday, Oyen has officially been recognised as a resident of the enclosure!
Originally going viral on TikTok back in 2021, Oyen has been spotted numerous times by other visitors who came to see the capybara enclosure over the past few months.
As a clear member of the enclosure for a prolonged period of time, Zoo Negara took to their TikTok page on Sunday, 25 June, to share how they've decided to make Oyen's residence in the enclosure official.
Placing a plaque below the signage of the capybara enclosure, staff erected a personalised sign that read "& Oyen" to mark the ginger cat's inclusion in the compound.
Sharing a short clip of the cat's presence in the pen, the ginger kitty can be seen munching on grass alongside the capybaras and posing for the camera.
The clip has received about two million views and over 250,000 likes at the time of writing
A large number of commenters celebrated Oyen finally being officiated as a "resident" of the capybara enclosure.
"From an intern to getting a full-time job," joked one user, while another jested that this signifies Oyen getting the recognition it deserves.
"Yay! Take care of Oyen, okay? Plenty of travellers come just to see Oyen. It is already famous on an international level," commented another user.
Aside from that, many people expressed their confusion over how Oyen was eating plants and grass.
"Is Oyen a vegetarian?" asked one user, while another stated that the ginger cat is probably used to eating grass at this point.
According to an article by Purina, grass can act as a natural laxative to relieve an upset stomach in cats, and encourage other dietary benefits such as supporting cell growth, counteract vitamin deficiency, and help in the production of haemoglobin.
One user even jokingly asked if Oyen was ever tempted to visit the enclosure of its bigger "brothers".
One of the most fruitful comments of the bunch came from a user who stated that Oyen probably thinks of itself as just another capybara within the enclosure.
"Oyen might think it is a capybara, and straight away the other capybaras showed him love, but they wait for the right time," penned the user.
While this sight may be something special to many viewers who came across the TikTok, others may recall how Oyen has been a member of the enclosure for quite some time now
In a report published by The Star this past April, it was stated that the cat and giant rodents have been "roommates" of sorts for the past two to three years, which also led to a revival in visitors returning to Zoo Negara post-COVID-19.
Zoo staff stated that while they were not sure exactly when the cat moved in with the capybaras, they would see Oyen at feeding times during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
"When we first discovered him, we saw he was very friendly with the capybaras. He would eat with them. At that time, we were also feeding the capybaras bread, which the cat ate," stated Mohd Taufik Yazidbustami, Senior Zookeeper at Zoo Negara.
Although the zoo usually does not encourage animals to interact with strays as it could be dangerous for them, both the cat and capybaras are healthy and happy, having not shown any signs of distress, according to Zoo Negara Vice President, Rosly @ Rahmat Ahmat Lana.
According to the report, zoo staff have decided to allow the friendship to continue as both the ginger cat and capybaras seemed to get along well.
