At The Pipsqueakery, an animal rescue and sanctuary in Bloomington, Indiana, the air is often filled with a chorus of unusual sounds. With hundreds of residents — from capybaras to beavers — each animal has its own distinct call.
But one resident’s voice stands out more than the rest: a rare creature named Greg.
Greg is a Patagonian mara, a rabbit-like rodent native to South America. When he was surrendered as a former pet, he wasn’t the first mara to arrive at the sanctuary.
A group of maras, including a shy female named Kirby, had recently been rescued from a farm and were already adjusting to their new home.
Most of the maras kept their distance from people. But Greg was different.
“Greg is very into humans, so long as he isn’t anxiously attacking everyone,” Alex Hernly, The Pipsqueakery’s founder, told The Dodo. “Kirby is pretty feral and will likely never love us.”
While Kirby avoided human contact, Greg charged toward his caregivers every chance he got. The moment he received his beloved head scratches, he would squeal with pure delight.
“Ever heard a happy [Patagonian] mara?” The Pipsqueakery wrote on Facebook.
It wasn’t long before followers noticed Greg’s squeaks sounded hilariously out of the ordinary.
“He sounds like an old-school Atari video game!!” one fan commented.
Another compared his voice to “a cross between a beaver and a guinea pig.”
You can hear Greg’s squeals here:
As Hernly explained, both guesses were pretty accurate. “To me, he sounds like the capybaras and guinea pigs who are closely related to him,” Hernly said.
No matter what people think he sounds like, Greg’s squeals have quickly become a source of joy for staff and supporters alike. And lately, his happiness seems to have an even deeper reason.
Greg has been spending more and more time with Kirby — the independent mara who once wanted nothing to do with humans. Slowly, she’s warming up, and Greg is right there beside her, cheering her on with every squeak.
“[She’s] Greg’s new girlfriend,” Hernly said with a smile.
Since maras mate for life, everyone at the sanctuary is hopeful the two will officially bond. For now, Greg and Kirby are enjoying what staff call their “honeymoon phase” — two survivors finding comfort in each other, one squeak at a time.
To help support Greg, Kirby, and other rescued animals, you can donate to The Pipsqueakery.
