Animal Welfare
Facing the Questions
When it comes to animal cafés, we often receive thoughtful questions such as:
- Isn’t it unnatural to keep animals away from their original habitat?
- Doesn’t living indoors cause stress or discomfort for the animals?
- Doesn’t adapting to a human schedule disturb their natural rhythm?
- Aren’t the animals being treated as spectacles or entertainment?
- Isn’t the café ultimately using animals for profit?
These are important and fair questions — ones that raise critical issues about ethics and animal welfare. We take these perspectives seriously and constantly reflect on them in our daily operations.
Our Philosophy
In our view, Cappiness is not a place where animals are displayed — it is a place of education, empathy, and connection, where people can rediscover respect for life.
In a world where people are becoming more distant from animals and nature, indifference can lead to cruelty and destruction. By allowing people to see, feel, and love these animals, we hope to nurture empathy and awareness that extend far beyond our café.
We also provide a place for those who love animals but cannot keep pets at home — offering a responsible, safe, and educational way to interact with them, helping to reduce irresponsible ownership and abandonment.
Our Practices for Animal Welfare
1. Choosing the Right Species
We chose capybaras for their gentle nature and strong social behavior, making them one of the few species truly suited for peaceful coexistence with humans — not for commercial appeal, but for ethical compatibility.
2. Creating a Natural and Comfortable Environment
We provide an environment that allows natural behavior — including open-air spaces, pools, and shelters for privacy. Our capybaras receive regular veterinary checkups, nutritional care, and close daily observation to maintain both physical and emotional health.
3. Respecting Their Rhythm
We do not operate at night and we carefully limit the duration of guest sessions, ensuring that each animal has ample rest and balance between interaction and private time.
Ethics and Sustainability
While we operate as a business, all profits are reinvested into animal welfare — improving facilities, medical care, staff training, and educational programs. Profit and ethics are not opposites when used to sustain and enhance well-being.
We don’t “use” animals — we coexist with them, building a sustainable model where humans and animals can both benefit with dignity.
About “Buying Means Causing Harm”
All of our capybaras were born and raised domestically, never taken from the wild. We recognize that purchasing animals can perpetuate demand — but for those already born under human care, we believe our duty is to provide the best possible life and never treat them as expendable.
We must hold both truths: the dream of a better world, and the duty to care for lives that already depend on us. At Cappiness, we strive to honor the present while moving society toward a more ethical future.