Capybara Cafe will debut in St. Pete July 11

Coming soon to St. Petersburg: Cuddly encounters with giant South American rodents.

The Capybara Café, opening July 11 at 4703 Park Street N., will feature – along with bottled water, coffee and cookies – a room where humans can feed and interact with capybaras, docile herbivores with gentle dispositions. The capybara is classified as the largest rodent species in the world.

The St. Petersburg location is the second such endeavor for manager Stephanie Angel, whose St. Augustine Capybara Café made its debut in October.

Noah’s Ark Sanctuary, a nonprofit wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center in nearby Hastings, provides the capybaras for the St. Augustine café. Angel is one of the sanctuary’s directors.

The public “encounters” are moderated by café employees, who talk about the squeaky, foot-high animals and their natural history as they’re being fed hay, kale, collard greens, apples and oranges. Each 30-minute encounter is preceded by a five-minute safety briefing.

Angel told the Washington Post that the St. Augustine Capybara Café brings in around 100 customers every day. “People come here and they’re always happy,” she said. “They’re always excited; they’re always laughing.”

The St. Pete location will also feature encounters with lemurs, and experiences with other animals.

Encounter reservations are currently being accepted at the St. Pete website.

A temporary “meet and greet” visit with capybaras at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, meanwhile, continues through July 20. Find more information here.