Capybaras are the world largest rodents, living in social groups in South American wetlands where they face pressure from hunting, habitat drainage, and increasingly from the exotic pet trade.
Capybara welfare involves both wild population pressures and the growing welfare concerns of the exotic pet trade. In the wild, habitat loss from wetland drainage forces capybaras into progressively smaller ranges, increasing group density and competition for resources. Hunting for meat during legal seasons can be conducted humanely but poaching outside seasons uses indiscriminate methods. Capybaras kept as exotic pets face profound welfare challenges: they are social animals needing conspecific companions, require water access for thermoregulation, and have very specific dietary and space requirements that few pet owners can provide. Single capybaras kept in domestic settings suffer from social isolation.