ZooBorns

UPDATE: Baby Tapir at Salzburg Zoo is a Girl!

Salzburg Zoo's new baby South American Tapir that ZooBorns first covered HERE is growing and thriving. Though it was born on March 1, vets only recently determined that it's a girl! Since then, the zoo has been asking the public to submit names for her and will decide on one very soon.

In the mean time, Mom Bibi has had to keep a watchful eye, since her little one has been into all sorts of mischief. What kind? You can see for yourself on the zoo's webcam, found on their website's homepage. You can tune in to see the the baby napping, playing or cuddling with Bibi, or nursing as seen on the webcam yesterday morning.

Photo Credit: Zoo Salzburg

The IUCN lists the South American Tapir as vulnerable, due to the 30% population decline that has occurred over the past three generations. They are threatened by deforestation, competition with grazing livestock, and hunting. As large foragers, they are especially sensitive to habitat disruption. 

It's a Girl! Brevard Zoo Welcomes an Endangered Baird's Tapir

A female Baird’s Tapir was born on April 2nd at Brevard Zoo. With her mother Josie and father Pewee, she brings the zoo's tapir count up to three. Mom and baby are doing well, bonding behind the scenes.  Both will be on exhibit in the near future. Before this new addition, Josie had given birth to four male offspring and one female.

Baird’s Tapir, an endangered species, tend to live near water sources in dense tropical forest throughout Central America. They are agile runners and swimmers, and will often take shelter in water when disturbed. These ancient herbivores have changed very little in the past thirty-five million years. Their trunk-like snout, called a proboscus, probably evolved more recently within the past few million years. These shy creatures are born with a pattern of spots and stripes that help young to camouflage on the dappled forest floor. The coloration fades as they mature. In the wild, young may stay with their mother for up to two years.

Often called mountain cows, the Baird’s Tapir the largest indigenous mammal in Central America, and is the national animal of Belize. With the wild population estimated at less than 5,500 individuals, they are listed as endangered by the IUCN. They are threatened by extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation, as well a local hunting. Brevard Zoo was particularly happy to welcome a female because she is very promising for the captive population. 

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Tired Tapir Calf Takes a Break at Artis Zoo

When Ydra, a female South American Tapir at the Netherlands’ Artis Zoo, was restless and refused her food last week, zoo keepers knew it wouldn’t be long before she delivered her calf.  Sure enough, on April 10, a male calf was born and Ydra licked him clean as he lay beside her on the straw.

Named Alexandro, the calf is the first offspring for Ydra and her mate Carlo.  Though Alexandro was delivered breech (feet first), he was healthy and strong. At just one week old, he moved into the zoo’s mixed-species exhibit with Llamas, Maras, Capybaras, and Giant Anteaters.

Photo Credit:  Artis Zoo

South American Tapirs, also known as Brazilian Tapirs, are native to Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Paraguay, where they feed on leaves and fruits in the Amazon rain forest.  The brown-and-white speckled coat of Tapir calves provides camouflage in the dense forest.  These Tapirs are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  Alexandro’s birth is a significant contribution to the European breeding program for this species.

See more photos of Alexandro below the fold.

Tapir Gets Tonguey at Howletts Wild Animal Park

This past February, Howletts Wild Animal Park in the United Kingdom received the latest member of its family, a healthy male baby Brazilian Tapir. The little boy, who has been named Inca, spent the first few months of his life indoors and off exhibit due to the cold weather. He spent his time inside with the warmth of shelter, and the comfort of his mother.

To help make sure that his indoor enclosure stayed warm enough, a local plastic and insulation company, PAR Group, donated a special plastic door curtain to help with insulation. "Our latest baby Tapir has been born during the really cold weather, but thanks to the generosity of the PAR Group they are snug and warm inside their shelter with the plastic door strips on the entrance," said Animal Director Neil Spooner.

Photo Credits: Dave Rolfe / Howletts Wild Animal Park

Now that the weather has begun to warm up, Inca has begun to explore his exhibit for visitors to see. "The little fella is doing really well and mum is keeping a close eye on him. Now that the weather is showing some signs of becoming milder, visitors should be able to spot them more easily, as they explore their paddock," explained Joel Bunce, the head of animal park's hoofstock section.

See and learn more after the fold!

Zoo Salzburg's Tapir Cub Sports a Striped Birthday Suit

A healthy, five-pound tapir was born on March 1st at Zoo Salzburg. The sex of the cub has not been determined yet. The first-time mother, Bibi, is taking good care of her cub. Bibi came to Zoo Salzburg last year from Zoo Brno in the Czech Republic. 

Tapir cubs are born with white spots and stripes that help them to camouflage in the rainforest understory of South America. They begin to lose their stripes at one to two months, and have an unmarked adult coat at six months old. 

Photo credits: Zoo Salzburg 

Read more after the fold.

Nashville Zoo Keepers Administer Emergency Mouth To Snout CPR To Save a Baby Tapir

By January 12, Nashville Zoo Animal Care Staff had waited over 13 months for the arrival of the Zoo's second Baird's Tapir in two years. Soon after the calf's delivery it became clear that something was wrong.

The baby’s embryonic sac did not break, so he could not breathe and began to rapidly lose vitality. Zoo staff made the decision to intervene and moved mother Houston out of the stall. They then freed the baby from the sac, verified he still had a heart rate, and immediately cleared his airways and performed mouth-to-nose resuscitation until he was fully breathing on his own. Thanks to their heroic efforts and quick action, the calf is doing well.

Photo credits: Amiee Stubbs / Nashville Zoo

This is the second birth for mom Houston and her mate Romeo, who came to Nashville Zoo from Central America in 2008 to introduce a new genetic line into the United States Tapir population. Veteran ZooBorns readers may recall the 2010 birth of Noah, the pair's first-born.

“This birth is significant because it helps sustain a genetically diverse population of Tapirs in the United States,” said Lanny Brown, hoofstock supervisor at Nashville Zoo. “Tapirs have a gestation period of more than 13 months, so we have been looking forward to this baby for a long time.”

Read more and see the rest of the calf's baby pictures below the fold.

Baby Tapir Gets a Cool Hairstyle from Mom at Wroclaw ZOO

On January 6, Poland's Wroclaw ZOO welcomed the birth of a little female South American Tapir. This striped little girl is healthy, nursing regularly, and growing strong. She will be weaned in about 6 months. She has been named Melba, and spends her days in an indoor exhibit where guests can watch her playing and cuddling with Sabrina, her mother. 

Although this is Sabrina's ninth baby, she is a little bit overprotective. According to keepers, Mom spends a little too much time licking her daughter.... but the youngster is very patient and calmly tolerates this nurturing behavior. As a result, the baby often has hair that looks a little spiky, like she used hair gel. 

Photo Credit: Wroclaw ZOO

The South American Tapir (Tapirus terrestris) is one of four species in the Tapir family, along with the mountain, the Malayan, and the Baird's Tapirs. It is the second-largest land mammal in South America, after the Baird's Tapir. Females go through a gestation period of roughly 13 months and in most all cases, have one offspring every two years. 

Since 1970, the South American Tapir has been classified as Endangered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, though it has a significantly lower risk of extinction than the other three Tapir species. Their numbers are dwindling due to poaching for their hide and meat, as well as the destruction of their natural habitat by man.

UPDATE: Zoo Brno’s Tapir Calf Gets Frisky

Celestýnka, a Brazilian Tapir born this fall at Zoo Brno in the Czech Republic, is getting plenty of exercise these days as he runs, jumps, and plays in his snowy outdoor enclosure.  The calf has grown considerably since he was featured on ZooBorns as a little newborn.

Zoo Brno fans voted to name the chubby little calf, who was born to parents Cusco and Neny.  Celestýnka’s antics have made him a favorite with zoo visitors and staff, as well as a capybara that shares his enclosure (look for this large rodent in the photos).

Photo Credit:  Zoo Brno

Brazilian Tapirs are native to the northern half of South America, where they roam the underbrush of rain forests in the region.  They are often found near waterways and are excellent swimmers.  Tapirs’ aquatic habits make them vulnerable to attacks by crocodiles and anacondas.  Jaguars and cougars prey on Tapirs sleeping on riverbanks. 

Predators are not Tapirs’ only threats: Tapirs are listed as vulnerable to extinction due to large-scale habitat destruction and poaching for their meat and hide.

Take a peek at Prague Zoo's baby Tapir!

The Czech Republic’s Prague Zoo celebrated the birth of a Malayan Tapir on November 6.  Born to mother Ivana, the male baby is only the second Tapir ever born in the history of the zoo.

The baby’s birth lasted only 30 minutes, and the calf was immediately “alive and kicking,” according to staff reports.  For now, the calf prefers to stay close to Ivana in the zoo’s exhibit.

All Malayan Tapir calves are born with a dappled brown and white coat, which offers excellent camouflage in its native southeast Asian rain forest.  By the time the baby is about six months old, it will develop the solid black and white coloration of the adults. 

Malayan Tapirs are endangered.  Once found throughout the Malay peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, their range has been drastically fragmented in recent years due to deforestation, damming of rivers, and illegal trade. 

Photo Credit:  Prague Zoo

Twycross Welcomes a Tapir Toddler

On Friday, October 19th the Twycross Zoo welcomed a female Brazilian Tapir calf to Muffin (mom) and Pele (dad). The healthy calf has been suckling well and exhibiting bursts of exuberance, romping around her enclosure and then retreating to the indoor area for a snooze.

Tapirs give birth to a single youngster after a gestation period of about 13 months. The baby has a striped and spotted coat which she will lose as she grows older. Brazilian Tapirs are found in lowland regions of northern and central South America and listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Redlist. This young female Tapir born only a week ago at Twycross Zoo will play a very important role in the European Breeding Programme of this species.

Snouts up!

Photo credits: Twycross Zoo