At Malaysia’s national zoo, the star of the show is a stray orange cat that has been embracing its new life among a herd of capybaras.
Oyen the ginger cat at Zoo Negara has been attracting a growing number of visitors. His charms have worked some magic on the parkgoers as the zoo has been doubling its visitor numbers on certain days.
The zoo’s vice president, Rosly Rahmat Ahmat Lana, said: “Every day, 95% of the visitors are here just to see Oyen. He is very popular.”
Zookeepers are uncertain about when Oyen made his way into the Kuala Lumpur park’s capybara enclosure. They assume he had been abandoned at the zoo during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oyen isn’t just captivating the hearts of visitors; he has an increasing fan base on social media with people who admire his personality. There were clips circulating where Oyen was seen snuggling with the capybaras and they seemed to not be fazed by the extra family member.
In June, Zoo Negara announced Oyen as an official member of the zoo and his name was added to the list of animals in the park. Lana added that Zoo Negara is feeding Oyen and monitoring the cat’s health.
“Unlike before, Oyen is now docile and approachable. Should Oyen fall ill one day, it will be easy for us to hold and treat it,” he said.
They intend to find a partner for Oyen so that they can create a capybara-inclined cat bloodline.