When the Weather Gets Cold, Everyone Wants to Soak in a Hot Spring!
There's nothing better than being wrapped in the warm waters of a hot spring on a chilly day. It's an incredible feeling that relaxes your entire body! In Gunma Prefecture, inside the Kusatsu Zoo, there's a capybara that fully enjoys the wonderful experience of soaking in a hot spring.
Capybaras are semi-aquatic herbivores with an adorably goofy appearance that makes them very popular. The zoo has specially designed a hot spring pool for the capybaras so they can comfortably stay warm even during the cold winter months.
A Capybara Enjoying the Hot Spring
The capybara looks so relaxed soaking in the hot spring that it's hard not to smile. The water must be incredibly comfortable because visitors witnessed a rare and amusing moment: the sleepy capybara, completely relaxed in the water, soon closed its eyes and toppled over into the hot spring—its entire nose submerged!
This startled many visitors, who worried whether the capybara might drown or if it was unwell and had fainted.
The Capybara Suddenly Collapsed in the Water!
However, after about 20 seconds, the capybara stood up on its own and climbed out of the water. The zoo staff explained that there was no need to worry—it was simply that the capybara was so relaxed that it accidentally fell asleep right in the hot spring.
Seeing a capybara this relaxed is quite rare! In fact, because of their natural habitat, capybaras can swim to escape danger and can stay fully submerged underwater for up to five minutes or even longer. So, comfortably dozing off for 20 seconds in a hot spring is no problem at all.
If only we could be like the capybaras at the zoo—able to relax and fall asleep while hiding in warm water. What a wonderful feeling that would be!
