Capybaras Enter Brazil Legislature Despite 2024 Law Meant to Keep Them Out

Five capybaras roamed the Mato Grosso Legislative Assembly in Cuiabá on July 30, 2026, their hallway stroll captured in video that went viral internationally. A June 2024 state law called for an underground wildlife passage to protect capybaras crossing the legislature's grounds. The intrusion indicates that measure remains unimplemented or ineffective. The building sits on a known capybara corridor from nearby Parque das Águas.