Capybaras are the new ‘supercool’ stars of tourist-loving Helen
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HELEN — Mike Stephens, a tourist from Alpharetta here for the ziplining, voices the question on the minds of so many people over 40: “What, exactly, is a capybara?”
Dawdling nearby are some tween girls — those universal arbiters of taste — who are happy to fill him in.
“They are the world’s largest rodent, and they are supercool!” says Emma Hale, 14, who is bouncing up and down with excitement.
The visitors are gathered at the Capyfriends Café, which opened this summer in Helen, a hub of the northeast Georgia mountains. This faux Bavarian hamlet, with its amusement parks, trinket shops and storybook architecture, is the second most-visited tourist destination in Georgia, behind Savannah. So the chubby-cheeked capys somehow fit right in among the Hummel figurines, to name but one cute keepsake visitors can score.
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The café is housed under the same roof as Nacoochee Adventures, with its jungle of zip lines, in partnership with North Georgia Wildlife & Safari Park, from nearby Cleveland, which supplies baby capybaras for immersive interaction. The word “Café” can be misleading to some visitors, who question the hygiene of dining alongside giant rats, but it is the capybaras who do the eating, as part of their “positive reinforcement” for socializing.
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The way it works: Eight people at a time are allowed in the room, where they sit on the floor in a circle, with blankets on their laps. Enter Popsicle and Rex, the stars of the show, who eagerly bound from lap to lap, to munch on lettuce and corn in outstretched hands. After a chorus of “awww!” a hush falls over the humans as they cuddle the friendly animals. It all makes for a surreal spectacle and an oddly soothing encounter with the natural world.
“What we hope is that by getting up close and personal with them, people will feel a sense of awe, of connection, and be more motivated to protect them and the wild places where they live,” says Hope Bennett, who operates North Georgia Wildlife & Safari Park with her husband, Tom.
The Bennetts have raised capys for 15 years, and Hope says they adhere to the park’s “Three C’s: care, connect, conserve.”
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Think of the capybaras as gentle versions of the R.O.U.S. (Rodents of Unusual Size) from the movie “The Princess Bride.” Once the wallflower — overshadowed in popularity by the three-toed sloth — the capybara now reigns as the rock star of the petting zoo. And it is enjoying a pop culture moment that frankly stumps the aesthetes of the zoological world who prize symmetry and conventional beauty. Weighing in at 150 pounds or more, they have an ample rump, tiny webbed feet for their semiaquatic lifestyle and the schnoz of Jimmy Durante. Their eyes survey you with a kind of Zen acceptance.
“They’re so ugly they’re cute,” says Marcia Anderson, an Atlanta banker who is celebrating her birthday (she won’t say which one) with capy canoodling.
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Why are they so popular now?
“I think it’s because they promote mindfulness,” Bennett says. “They’re in the moment, and when you’re with them, away from your screens, you’re in that moment with them. They’re a welcome break from life’s busyness.”
To that end, the zoo offers “capybara yoga,” in which the adult creatures roam from poser to poser, lending their serenity vibes. “A lot of the time, people just stop with the yoga and pet them,” says Bennett.
Capybaras, whose name comes from an Indigenous Brazilian word for “grass eater,” are native to South America, where they are consumed as meat by rural communities and used by Peronists as a symbol of class struggle. But it was Japan, that cradle of twee whimsy, that kicked off the current trend.
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The Japanese, who pamper the animals with hot springs, gave us the ubiquitous ramen-eating anime character “Kapibara-san” and viral TikTok videos from capy cafés. They even have a word for the capybara’s healing effect: iyashikei.
“They’re just so chill, like a Xanax with fur,” marvels Anderson, as she strokes Popsicle.
Perhaps because we live in such stressful times, capybaras are much in demand. If you are planning a trip to Helen, you must make reservations well in advance to get a petting session, which only accommodates eight visitors at a time, to keep from overworking the animals. In Georgia, not even Zoo Atlanta has capys, but two similar cafés have opened in Florida, in St. Augustine and St. Petersburg.
Not everyone approves of capybara cafés. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued this statement: “Capybaras are aquatic mammals who belong in the rain forests, lakes, rivers, and marshes of South America, not confined to a tiny room with no escape from the constant barrage of grabbing hands. PETA urges kind people to avoid all businesses that exploit animals for entertainment and to instead enjoy observing wild animals from a safe distance in their natural habitats.”
Dr. Fred Torpy, a veterinarian who specializes in exotic animals, emphasizes the need for certain conditions.
“The animal’s welfare and well-being need to be paramount, with its autonomy respected,” he says of capybaras, noting that he just returned from Japan, where “they are everywhere.” “If they are socialized from a young age and do some imprinting, that mitigates their stress, and they need to be constantly assessed for stress and given rest breaks. If everything is done right, at the end of the day, it can be done ethically and serve as a positive educational experience.”
Bennett, who holds a degree in youth ministry, says she views her café as a “sacred calling.”
“We do everything right,” she says. “We don’t force them to do anything that is not on their terms, and if we see any signs of stress, we remove them. But they are social beings who want to interact with us for their own enrichment as well as ours.”
She notes that her business is permitted and closely regulated by both the Department of Natural Resources and the United States Department of Agriculture, and she keeps a vet on call.
The question that arises in every capy café session: Do they make good pets?
No, says veterinarian Torpy, and keeping them in your tub is illegal in Georgia. “They require water and more husbandry than most people can provide,” he says. “They’re awful cute and charismatic, though.”
IF YOU GO
Capyfriends Café
A 30-minute session with capybaras alone is $75. An hourlong session with capys and a few other species (a fennec fox, a hedgehog and an armadillo) is $125. Children 11 and under must be accompanied by a participating adult. Food, beverages and games can be enjoyed in the cafe area (outside the capybara room) before and after the capy experience. 7019 S. Main St., Helen. Times and dates vary. For more information or to reserve: 706-348-7279, capyfriendscafe.com.
