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Noah's Ark Sanctuary · Fort Lauderdale

Making of The Capybara Cafe

Go behind the scenes with the animal ambassadors who will be calling our Fort Lauderdale location home. Every animal here is an animal ambassador, cared for and given a life with purpose. This is their story.

The Capybara Cafe Experience

A look at life inside The Capybara Cafe. Owned and operated by Noah's Ark Sanctuary, every visit supports animal rescue and care.

The Finished Space

From Empty Warehouse to Wildlife Cafe

The Fort Lauderdale build is complete: walk-in habitats with hand-textured stone and custom murals, a full cafe lounge, and viewing windows so every guest can watch the animals at home. Here is the finished space.

Cafe lounge with epoxy floor, seating, and the animal mural
Wide view of the lounge mural and Capybara Cafe sign
Bar rail seating with green stools and cafe tables
Framed wood-burned animal artwork above cafe tables
Walk-in forest habitat with murals and turf
Forest habitat dig box and log tunnels
Forest habitat seen through its viewing window
Desert habitat with camel and pyramid mural, cactus, and rock ledges
Desert habitat viewing windows beside cafe seating
Corridor of habitat viewing windows along cafe tables
Tree of Impact wall honoring organizations Noah's Ark Sanctuary supports
Capybara Cafe Ft Lauderdale photo backdrop wall
Video Tour

Inside the Finished Space

Short clips from inside the completed Fort Lauderdale cafe. This is what is waiting for you.

Inside the Cafe
A Walk Through the Space
Step through the finished Fort Lauderdale cafe, from the lounge and mural to the habitat windows.
Inside the Cafe
The Habitats Up Close
A closer look at the walk-in habitats: hand-textured stone, custom murals, and every detail built for the animals first.
Inside the Cafe
The Lounge
The cafe lounge where sessions begin, with the animal mural watching over it all.
Inside the Cafe
Habitat Details
The small touches that make each habitat feel like home.
Inside the Cafe
Viewing Windows
The windows that let every guest watch the animals at home between sessions.
Inside the Cafe
Around the Cafe
Seating, artwork, and the spaces where families settle in.
Inside the Cafe
Built for Calm
Quiet corners and soft textures, designed around the animals' comfort.
Inside the Cafe
Finishing Touches
The last details before the doors open.
Meet the Animals

The Animal Ambassadors

Each animal at The Capybara Cafe is an animal ambassador of Noah's Ark Sanctuary. Watch them in their element before your visit.

Capybara
The World's Largest Rodent
Capybaras are gentle, social, and endlessly curious. Native to South America, they are the centerpiece of every Capybara Cafe experience. Watch how they interact, explore, and connect with people on their own terms.
Armadillo
Built Like Armor, Soft at Heart
One of the only armadillos in the world that can roll into a perfect ball. Guests who have never held one leave with a completely different understanding of what these animals are really like.
Bearded Dragon
Ancient, Calm, and Surprisingly Social
Bearded dragons are among the most personable reptiles in the world. Calm by nature and comfortable with people, they are a favorite with guests who have never spent time with a reptile before.
Ferret
Fast, Curious, Impossible to Ignore
Guests who came for the capybaras often leave talking about the ferrets. They move fast, investigate everything, and have a personality that is completely their own.
Fox
Every Bit as Wild as You'd Expect
Foxes in person are nothing like the photos. They are quick, alert, and entirely on their own terms. When one decides to engage with you, it is a moment guests remember long after the visit.
Opossum
North America's Only Marsupial
Opossums get a bad reputation they do not deserve. Up close they are calm, deliberate, and fascinating. Most guests are surprised by how much they enjoy spending time with one.
Raccoon
Hands That Work Like Hands
Raccoons have remarkably dexterous paws and problem-solving intelligence that surprises almost every guest. Watch one in action and it is easy to understand why they thrive everywhere.
Skunk
The Most Misunderstood Animal in the Room
Do not let the reputation fool you. Our skunks are among the most popular animals at the Cafe. Gentle, curious, and completely harmless, they convert skeptics within the first sixty seconds.
Snake
More Calm Than You'd Think
Our snake ambassadors are calm, non-venomous, and handled daily. For guests who have always been curious but never had the chance, this is the experience that changes the relationship permanently.
Behind the Scenes

Building the Space

Before the animals arrive, the space itself has to come to life. Our artist hand sculpts and details every wall, from the first rough coat to the finished scene.

The Build
Shaping the Walls
Process footage of the walls being sculpted and detailed by hand before any paint goes on.
The Build
Texture Takes Shape
More of the wall texturing process, one section at a time.
Raw textured wall coat before final detailing, showing the base layer of the sculpted scene
Starting With a Blank Wall
Every scene starts as a plain wall with a rough base coat applied by hand.
Textured wall panel mid-process, showing the sculpted surface before final color and detail
Building Up the Texture
Layer by layer, the flat wall becomes a sculpted surface with real depth.
Artist sculpting a stone wall by hand, with a capybara outline sketched on the wall nearby
Sketching the Animals
Animal outlines are sketched directly onto the wall before the detail work begins.
Close-up detail of a hand-sculpted brick and stone textured wall
Stone by Stone
Every block in the faux stone walls is individually shaped and detailed by hand.
Themed archway with hand-carved hieroglyphic style details on the stone pillars
A Themed Doorway
One of the entryways, complete with hand-carved detail on every pillar.
Large rough natural rock textured wall in progress
A Different Texture
Not every wall looks the same. This one is styled after natural rock rather than cut stone.
Hand-carved relief scene showing two jackal-headed figures weighing a small capybara on a scale, in an Ancient Egyptian art style
A Favorite Detail
A hand-carved scene inspired by Ancient Egyptian art, with a small twist worth finding in person.
Textured wall panel showing the sculpted base coat in progress
Still in Progress
More of the space taking shape, one wall at a time.

Every Animal Has a Story

Each animal at The Capybara Cafe is an animal ambassador living under Noah's Ark Sanctuary's professional, lifelong care. They are here because they have the temperament to help people connect with wildlife in a way that changes how people see the natural world.

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