Rio de Janeiro police said Monday they had arrested eight people for brutally beating a capybara -- the world's largest rodent whose chill demeanor has inspired countless memes online in recent years.

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 working-class neighborhood of Ilha do Governador Wounds are ...

Wounds are seen on the muzzle of a capybara under care at the Center for Wildlife Animal Recovery of Estacio de Sa University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Copyright ...