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TORONTO — At dawn on May 24, staff at the High Park Zoo drove down an asphalt path to unload their newest charges: Two young capybaras, one male and one female, from a breeder in Texas. They carried the rodents into the capybara pen, leaving the gate unlocked behind them, and prepared to usher another, older capybara out.

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Moments later, the two youngsters were gone, running down the path and vanishing into the park. In hours, they were likely the most famous capybaras in history. They went on to dodge zookeepers, wildlife experts and concerned citizens for more than a month.

It took five weeks, two types of cages and copious amounts of corn to bring the runaways back to the zoo. Most of all, it took patience, as May turned to June and spring seeped into summer.

As of Tuesday morning — when the second capybara was apprehended in the park — it is all over.

Five weeks ago, hours after the capybaras darted free, more than 30 staffers fanned out across the park, trying to blitz the animals, but returned to the pen empty-handed. Police asked the public to report any sightings.