Rio de Janeiro police have said they had arrested eight people for brutally beating a capybara.
Resembling a giant, gentle guinea pig, the shaggy, light brown capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is often seen roaming in the Brazilian city, particularly near streams and lagoons.
In an incident filmed by security cameras before dawn on Saturday, a group of attackers beat the capybara with sticks and iron bars in the neighborhood of Ilha do Governador.
"This is a brutal crime that shocks society," said Felipe Santoro, the police commissioner in charge of the investigation, was quoted as saying by the O Globo daily newspaper.
"It is an act of extreme cruelty toward a creature that posed absolutely no threat...yet was deliberately attacked nonetheless," he added.
The attackers -- including two minors -- were identified through CCTV footage and arrested on Saturday, police said in a statement.
The capybara, a 65-kilogram male, was taken to the Wildlife Care Center (CRAS) at the private Estacio University in southwestern Rio.
"We have been treating Rio's wildlife here for 22 years, and I have never before received a capybara subjected to such extreme aggression," veterinarian and head of CRAS Jeferson Pires told AFP.
He said the creature was doing better, but was "suffering from head trauma, swelling with internal bleeding around his left eye, and multiple injuries to his back."
In recent years the semi-aquatic capybara - native to South America - has gained a devoted following online, and its image is increasingly used on toys, clothing and home decor items.
In early January, the death of a stray dog after it was beaten to death by teenagers sparked a massive wave of outrage in Brazil, even prompting a reaction from First Lady Rosangela "Janja" da Silva.
