ZooBorns

Look at Those Baby Tapir Spots!

On January 8, this South American Tapir was born at Parque Zoológico Botánico Bararida in Venezuela, South America. This is the fourth offspring of parents Ezekiel and Shama. The baby is male and as of yet unnamed. This is the Zoo's first birth of the new year.

Tapirs look like pigs with long snouts but they are more closely related to rhinos and horses! This extended nose and upper lip are used to grab branches and strip the leaves or to pluck fruit. They eat morning and evening, and roam in well worn paths to water sources while foraging and depositing seeds along the way.Tapirs are excellent swimmers and even dive to nibble on plants. There are four species of tapir and all are endangered or threatened, largely due to hunting and habitat loss.

Photo Credits: Parque Zoológico Botánico Bararida

Tapir Trio Takes Twenty-Twelve By Storm!

Three baby Tapirs are taking 2012 by storm! First it was the U.K.'s Chester Zoo, whose female Tapir, Jennifer, gave birth to a little girl (pictured above) on December 27. The calf, named Talia, is doing really well and has already been seen out and about, foraging for food. Then on New Year's Eve a male South American Tapir (2nd and 3rd pictures) was born at the Netherlands' Artis Zoo. Last but not least, Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo welcomed a female Tapir calf (last 2 pictures) on New Years Day. There are four species of tapir native to Southeast Asia and in Central and South America, all of which are classified as endangered due to ongoing decline.

Baby Tapir Has Stripes AND Spots!

A beautiful new baby Malayan Tapir has come into the world - well, she's come to the Edinburgh Zoo!  The baby’s name is Nadira, which means  ‘precious gift’ in Malaysian. She was born on October 3, the fourth baby born to Edinburgh Zoo’s adult tapir pair, mum Sayang and dad Ka.  She's turning heads with her unique look. 

Hoofstock team leader Lorna Hughes said: “We’re really pleased with how both mum and daughter are doing. Sayang is an experienced mum and she’s brilliant, she has been protective and attentive, but still relaxed about everything. Nadira is feeding well and going outside to explore.  We’ve begun to introduce dad Ka for short periods of time so he and Nadira can become more familiar with one another. Ka is good natured male and we don’t expect any problems when we eventually bring the family together for longer stretches of time."

Photo Credit: Edinburgh Zoo

Spots and Stripes at Howlett's Animal Park

Keepers at Howletts Wild Animal Park near Canterbury, England are celebrating the birth of a Brazilian Tapir. Born just a week ago, on the 27th October, the infant - who is yet to be named, is already venturing out into his enclosure whilst his mother, Corumba, keeps a close eye on him.

Joel Bunce Head Hoofstock Keeper at the park is delighted with the new addition: ‘This is Corumba’s  first calf so I was expecting both of them to be quite cautious, however the little chap is already exploring his enclosure and Corumba has taken to motherhood very well.’

Photo credits: Howeltts Wild Animal Park

Brazilian Tapir Baby Named In Memory Of His Dad

A Brazilian Tapir baby named Little Ron, at only 9 days old, is now out and about in his paddock at Marwell Wildlife.  Born with a very pretty coat of pale spots and stripes on a reddish brown background, he is delighting visitors with his striking appearance. When he is about a year old he will lose his markings and develop a beautiful light brown color, just like his mom Summer and sister Quito. He's named ‘Little Ron’ in memory of his Dad, Ronaldo, who sadly died at the park last month after an acute illness.

Section Manager David White said: “Staff miss Ronaldo greatly and he was a popular character amongst visitors to the park- so we thought it would be nice to carry on his memory by calling the baby Little Ron.

“Summer is coping well and has had some assistance from Quito, her previous offspring. She is very attentive and protective of him, always keeping a look out and calling him when he is out of view, although this all changes when food is about!!”

 “Quito was very interested in the birth and almost acted like a birthing companion for her mom. She has been helping to keep him occupied and is keeping a watchful eye over him.”

Photo Credit: Marwell Wildlife

Endangered Baby Tapir Arrives at Bristol Zoo

There is a new addition to Bristol Zoo’s Brazilian Tapir family. A tiny baby calf will join parents Tamang and Denzil and big sister Tip Tap. The three week old Brazilian Tapir calf has been sexed as male and is the seventh born to the Zoo’s current adult Tapirs. The calf currently has a distinct spotted and striped coat of light brown fur that is similar in all young Tapir species and provides ideal camouflage in their native forest habitat. However, this coloration will slowly disappear between six and nine months of age to be replaced with an overall coloring of dark, chocolate brown. Emily Pugh, senior mammal keeper at Bristol Zoo Gardens, said: “The calf is strong and full of life and can be seen exploring his enclosure with his mother.” Emily added: “He is very inquisitive, always learning and discovering, but likes to stay close to mum, Tamang.”

Photo credits: Peter Budd/Bristol Zoo Gardens

Currently the size of a small dog, the little calf will grow up to be the size of a Shetland pony, reaching his full adult size and weight of anything between 150-300 kg (330-660lbs) by the age of fourteen months. The birth of the calf is a significant contribution to the conservation of Brazilian tapirs, which are currently listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Threatened with extinction from extensive hunting and deforestation, the breeding programme in which Bristol Zoo Gardens is involved helps raise awareness of the threats facing tapirs in the wild.

Meet Quito the Baby Brazilian Tapir

Marwell Wildlife is celebrating the recent birth of a Brazilian tapir. Born on 2 September to proud mum Summer and dad Ronny, the baby girl has been named ‘Quito’ (pronounced kito) after the capitol city of Ecuador, which lies in the western part of the tapir range. Quito was born with a very pretty coat of pale spots and stripes on a reddish brown background. When she is around a year old she will lose her markings and develop a beautiful light brown colour, just like her big sister Rio.  “Quito is doing really well and is full of confidence, she loves nothing better than exploring her new home. Summer is an excellent mum, whilst her big sister Rio and dad Ronny are never far away in case she runs into trouble. Brazilian tapirs are generally shy animals however, our family are very easy going and Ronny in particular loves a tickle under his chin” said David White, Head keeper for the tapirs. 

Brazilian tapirs live in the Amazon rainforest and spend much of their time foraging near water, which they also use as an escape route from predators such as jaguars. They are able to stay submerged for hours using their long noses to breathe through, just like a snorkel. Tapirs closest living relatives are hoofed animals likes horses and rhinos. Although not as critically endangered as the Malayan tapir, there are still several threats to the survival of the Brazilian tapirs including: illegal hunting, habitat fragmentation which can result in reduced genetic diversity and home range, plus loss of habitat by subsistence farmers and illegal logging.  They are currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Baby Number 11 for Tapir Pair!

Congratulations to Shannon and Tanya, Linton Zoo's Brazilian tapirs, on the birth of their latest calf, a beautiful and healthy female born on June 2nd 2010. The new calf, yet un-named is baby number 11 for this very successful pair. Tanya and Shannon are now both in their twenties and continue to be perfect parents.

Photo Credits: Chris Humphries

Tiny Tapir ‘Perfection’ Spotted at Edinburgh Zoo

A new addition to Edinburgh Zoo has been officially announced today (Thursday 27 May). Born just over a month ago on 23 April 2010, the male baby Malayan tapir called Kamal, whose name means ‘perfection’, can now be seen exploring his enclosure under the watchful eye of his mum Sayang.

Photo Credits: RZSS

Nashville's Storm Babies! (Part II)

On Friday we brought you the story of a little Eurasian Lynx cub born at the Nashville Zoo during last week's torrential flooding. Today we bring you the second storm baby, a Baird's tapir calf named "Noah." Little Noah was born in the midst of the thunder and pouring rain but seems no worse for wear. Baird's tapirs are the national animal of Belize and are commonly referred to as "mountain cows" in Central and South America, although they are more close related to horses and rhinos.

Photo credits: Christian Sperka