Petting a Capybara and More!

Nov 22, 2009

Last weekend legendary weirdo, bunny museum lover, and Kayo Dot violinist Mia Matsumiya came to visit me here in Shreveport where we’re about to shoot SUPER. As is our custom, we sought out some of the more interesting and unusual sites here and ended up at Gators & Friends Alligator Park and Exotic Zoo. Gators and Friends had literally hundreds of alligators, but the coolest part was being able to feed and pet the other animals there (no gator petting allowed).

My favorite was the capybara, the world’s largest rodent, weighing in at about a hundred pounds.

Capybaras look a lot like giant guinea pigs or, frankly, giant rats without tails. As I grew up owning both numerous rats and guinea pigs, I found this thing fascinating. In addition, this particular dude was sweet as hell.

Although he was skittish at first, it didn’t take long for him to come closer and check us out. Unlike all the other animals the capybara was far less interested in the food than he was in the interaction with us – most the other animals would get pet just to get some food.

Mia was getting some video of the capybara licking my hand like a dog and then getting his chin rubbed. After this initial petting, he couldn’t get enough, and just sat with us getting pet for a good twenty minutes. I can’t wait to go back and visit him again. And I’d also like to have my own capybara as a pet someday!

Mia feeding a gigantic camel.

Mia with deer.

This particularly aggressive ostrich depleted my supply of pet feed in about twenty seconds. Here we have some video on the tail end of him jabbing my paper cup full of food repeatedly.

Just a few of the many, many, many alligators.

A particularly friendly kangaroo.

Cutest Satans ever.

Dwarf horse.

After the capybara, this mule was the sweetest animal there.

I have lots more photos, but I have to get back to drawing storyboards for SUPER. We start in just a couple weeks!! We have lots more casting news for you coming up, with some awesome additions to our cast. But, until then, I’ll share these photos of me making use of Mia’s midgetness by having her fit into my suitcase…

Next week is Thanksgiving. Mia is coming back and we’re going to drive to Dallas for the holiday. If any of you know of any strange and interesting places to visit in Dallas, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks in advance!

Bye!

James

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Maddy_Bauer

I dunno if it’s really strange but it’s definitely interesting. In Addison and Fort Worth there’s a bar called ‘Flying Saucer’. In both places you get a really cool, lively crowd at night but if you go early it’s a nice quiet place. I don’t drink, but it’s an awesome place just to chill with friends. They have saucers all over the walls and they’re random as hell but fun. Oh, and if you ask for it, you get free popcorn which has a wicked seasoning. The food is brill too – like REALLY good! It’s not all steak believe it or not! Sounds daft but that bar is something that always excites me about going back to Dallas. I’d recommend the trivia night on Tuesday for sure, the guy who runs it in Addison is hilarious and his humour is right up your street – the easily offended need not attend ;).

Other than that it’s hard to recommend places as most of the time when I’m there it’s all about downhill biking, skateboarding and catching up with folk. If I get the chance I’ll challenge some of my friends to find the most fucked up – sorry, ‘strange and interesting – Dallas experience and pass it onto you.

By the way, that capybara really is cute as hell! So cute how he just loves being pet.

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