Cape May County zoo sets up male capybara on 'The Bachelor' style dates

Over a month after the dramatic finale of "The Bachelor," which saw Montgomery County's Joey Graziadei get engaged, social media users have a new local lover boy to root for in his journey for a partner ... or partners.

Goomba, a nearly 2-year-old male capybara at the Cape May County Park & Zoo, has selected two female breeding partners, the zoo announced Friday. This is common among the large rodents native to South America but may seem an unconventional ending to Goomba's story, which the zoo has jokingly marketed as a fuzzier version of "The Bachelor" dating show.

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Over the past few weeks on Facebook and Instagram, the zoo has documented Goomba's "heavily supervised" introductions with female capybaras, including 9-year-old Budette and her daughters, 2-year-old twins Buttercup and Marigold. Each post about Goomba's journey has received over 1,000 likes and many comments from invested fans rooting him on.

"It's been about a year that we were doing introductions with capys and we tried the one female first, and that did not go very well," said Stephanie Schnitzler, who has been a zookeeper at Cape May County for seven years. "So we tried the other one. We were just joking around about how we have to find the right match for (Goomba). And eventually, it was a good pairing. So then, at that point, I asked our social media if we could make a post about capy intros. He's such an eligible bachelor, and then we had rose props and everything. So we're like, 'Oh, let's just go with this.'"

So who is this rodent bachelor handing out the roses? Goomba, who will turn two in July, is "reserved" and "heavily food motivated," according to Schnitzler. His favorite snack is corn, and he was named for the mushroom-like villain character in Nintendo's Mario franchise. Goomba's father was named Mario, and he has siblings named Yoshi, Bowser and Peach. But, at the zoo in Cape May Court House, Goomba is the new guy in town and the only member of his family there.

"We got Goomba actually, ironically, on Valentine's Day in 2023 from Abilene, Texas," Schnitzler said. "So we did joke a lot about that, like these ladies got a good Valentine's treat."

As for how a "Shy Guy" — Nintendo pun intended — like Goomba became the center of a romcom, it has to do with saving the capybara species. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has Species Survival Plan Programs, which are intended to "maintain a healthy, genetically diverse and demographically stable population for the long-term future." Capybaras are not considered endangered, but their population is threatened by deforestation, habitat destruction and illegal poaching. 

The breeding program recommended the zoo breed Goomba with Budette or her two female pups. Budette also has a son from a previous litter, Cappuccino, who is neutered because there was no need for males in the program at the time. 

When the zoo first received Goomba, at just 6 months old, he "smelled like a baby" to the other capybaras and they didn't show much interest in him, Schnitzler said. But once Goomba was about a year old, Cappuccino began showing signs of aggression that indicated to keepers that Goomba may be reaching maturity. There's a hierarchy among male capybaras, and the largest male is usually the most dominant. Goomba is just about 100 pounds, while Cappuccino weighs in at a hefty 142. 

"Goomba is very petite; he's the smallest capybara I've ever seen in my life," Schnitzler said. "He really is a short king."

Furthermore, Goomba's urine began to change and his morillo scent gland — which is located on the snout and becomes more prominent as males age — was growing. All these signs pointed to sexual maturity for Goomba, which usually occurs in capybaras around 18 months old, and that it may be time for him to meet his match.

Goomba's first "one-on-one" was with the 138-pound Marigold, but let's just say she didn't receive a rose. In fact, it was "stressful" for the keepers supervising. The pair would stand on their hind legs and bare their teeth at each other. Goomba kept running away from Marigold, who continually tried to bite him.

"She was just too aggressive, and he was too submissive," Schnitzler said. "I've never really seen a female be that territorial. I didn't raise her that way!"

His next date was with Budette, who "would do anything for a scratch" and has a "calm demeanor." Their one-on-one went much better, and even veered into "fantasy suite" territory. The pair sniffed each other with no signs of aggression, and soon enough Goomba was breeding Budette.

"Their courtship is actually really, really interesting," Schnitzler said. "Our public has seen a lot of it this past month. It's kind of like zebras or horses would do. He takes his nose and he puts it on her back and just follows her relentlessly. And usually, the more subordinate the male is, the longer that he'll follow them around for. This can last for minutes of him just following her. ... And then eventually, if the female is accepting of that, they'll go to a body of water, and then they'll let them breed."

The keepers decided to add the 106-pound Buttercup into the pairing. According to Schnitzler, Buttercup has a "similar personality" to Goomba and is also very shy. It turned out to be another match, and the perfect completion to the three-capy couple. Goomba and Buttercup have also bred.

"Buttercup is still at the bottom of the hierarchy for the main herd," Schnitzler said. "I wanted someone (as a mate for Goomba) that was kind of passive. I also wanted Budette who was kind of able to stand up to Goomba, and also able to stand up to Buttercup, in case either one of them went after each other. She would kind of be that intermediate or the buffer of it."

While it may seem weird to be dating a mother-daughter pair, and it certainly would not be fodder for the PG-rated "Bachelor," it's not strange for the capybaras. They can often live in families of between 10 and 20, usually with one dominant male, many females and a few subordinate males. And capybara females are truly nature's "girls' girls," Schnitzler said.

"(Female capybaras) are highly cooperative," she said. "If Buttercup and Budette had pups at the same time, they will actually share and they'll protect each other's pups. They'll let each other's pups nurse from them."

Goomba will likely stay with Budette and Buttercup for the rest of their lives, or until the SSP program recommends a transfer. The keepers are monitoring to see when the pups will be on the way. Litters can be anywhere from two to eight pups. Budette's previous litters had four and six pups, and this would be Buttercup's first litter. Capybaras' lifespan in captivity is about 8 to 10 years, so this would likely be 9-year-old Budette's final litter.

"When we say Goomba likes an older lady, he really likes an older lady," Schnitzler joked.

As for the social media attention surrounding Goomba's adventures in dating and mating, Schnitzler said the comments have had her "in tears" laughing.

"I was giggling when (a comment) said 'justice for Marigold,'" she said. "And then someone said, 'You can't afford to be monogamous or to have monogamy in this economy.'"

Schnitzler hopes to do a reality TV-style "reunion" for the capybara "Bachelor." She wants to get Marigold's reaction — "I call her girlboss" — so stay tuned for the drama to unfold on Cape May County zoo's social media pages.

Zoo visitors can meet social media stars Budette, Cappuccino, Buttercup and Marigold by booking a 20-minute capybara encounter. Goomba is not yet available to meet visitors, but he can sometimes be heard growling (out of jealousy?) from his enclosure while his fellow capybaras eat snacks and meet new people. For now, Goomba is adjusting to his newfound fame as the Joey Graziadei of large rodents.

"He finally found his confidence, I'll tell you that," Schnitzler said. "I can't show him these posts just now, otherwise he'll get an ego."

The Cape May County Park & Zoo, located at 707 North Route 9 in Cape May Court House, is free to visit and open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.