Our latest Brazilian tapir calf was born on 30th January 2020 to mum Tiana and dad Thiago as part of the European Breeding Programme. He is growing very fast and now spends a lot of his time exploring his paddock or playing his favourite game of hide and seek under the bushes!
The Brazilian tapir is a large heavily built mammal of a strange prehistoric appearance. The tapir is in fact so well adapted to its environment that it has remained unchanged for about 30 million years. It lives deep in the Brazilian rainforest where, because of the destruction of its habitat and illegal hunting it is has already become extinct in part of its range. The tapir is a shy creature taking to water when threatened where it is able to stay submerged for hours using its long nose to snorkel until such time it feels it is safe to surface. They feed on roots and vegetation but never strip a bush bare of its leaves, zigzagging their way through the undergrowth, conserving the habitat.
You may be forgiven for thinking that the tapir is some kind of cross between a pig and an elephant but in fact its closest relatives are horses, zebras and rhinos. The colouring is a dark reddish brown but the offspring is covered in a beautiful pattern of white spots and stripes which it will retain until about six months of age; this would provide a very efficient camouflage in the dappled shade of the forest.
