Tapir Talk Archives

25 June 1997

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    ___  __                   Digest   25 June 1997 - Vol. 1, No. 35
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The Tapir Preservation Fund

The Tapir Gallery: http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/
Tapir Talk Archives and Info: http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/tt.htm
E-mail: tapir@tapirback.com
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TAPIR TALK   -  25 June 1997   -   Vol. 1, No. 35

Contents of this issue
    1. PATRICIA CAPTURES A TAPIR!
    2. Notes on capture, procedures and release
    3. Three new Belizean ecology/conservation web sites
    4. Skinning alive with the nose!



Return-Path: 
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 1997 11:55:42 -0300 (EST)
From: "Liviam E. Cordeiro" 
To: tapir@TAPIRBACK.COM
Subject: Tapir Talk - Patricia

Morro do Diabo State Park, 24th June 1997

Hi all!!!!
Here is Patricia from Brazil and I have a big new to tell you all.
After two months working hard trying to capture a Tapir, we
got it!!! Great!!! It was last night. The animal felt in one of
our pitfalls (now, 2,30 meters deep) and didn't went out. It's 
a big female (a local Veterinarian estimated 320kg) and her name
is JOANA, because yesterday it was Saint John's day here in
Brazil. The animal felt between 12:30hrs and 18:30hrs. Again,
during the day! It was 17:30hrs when I started checking the
box traps. Nothing! Then, I checked the first pitfall at 18:00hrs
and the last one at 18:30hrs. It was a great sensation when I
realized that I was looking at a big Tapir inside the hole. The
animal was laying down and at the first moment I was
afraid that it was hurted. Then, I went to the car to take
my spotlight and when I came back to the pitfall the animal
was already standing. It was such a relief!!! The Tapir was very
calm and quiet. I was alone and then I went to the city to call 
the Veterinarian and my field assistents. When we came back,
the animal was still standing calm and quiet. We darted the 
animal with the Detomidine, but the drug didn't work. We darted
it again with an extra dosage and it became a little "grog" but
still awake. Then we decided that it wouldn't be good to give
more drug to the animal and then we tied it's head on a tree and
I went down carefully to check the reactions of the animal with
me inside the hole. The Tapir moved its head but wasn't able
to bite me because of the drug effect and also the rope around
its neck. Amazing!!! I touched it a first time and then when I became
sure that it was safe, I started the manipulation. First of all, I put 
the radio collar on its neck and then I took all the measurements and
collected the ectoparasites. It is 2,16 meters length and 1,14 meters
tall. Then I stayied inside the hole during few minutes, just 
enjoying the moment and looking and touching my first captured 
Tapir. After that, it was becoming a little dangerous and then my
field assistents helped me to come out from the hole and we started
making a ramp on one side of the pitfall to allow the animal to come out
by itself. We did that very fast, but at the end, Joana was already
very lucid, moving a lot inside the hole, and looking at the ramp. Then,
we decided to stay a little far from the hole, withot lights and 10
minutes
later, Joana went out from the hole and crossed the road where we were.
The moon was very bright and then we were able to see her, with the
radio collar in its neck. After some seconds, she realized that we were
close and ran. I have to say again:  "amazing"!!!!!! We started all the
process at 20:20hrs and it was already 24:05hrs when she came out
from the hole. Anyway...we didn't have such a big problems, but the
drug really didn't work like it should do. I have to talk to the Vets that
advised me about the drugs and ask them all my questions, before
the next capture. Maybe, we'll have to change the drug. We even
didn't need to use the antagonist!!! 
Well...I'm very happy, and during the next week I'll start collecting data
about Joana. I'll tell you all about our first results. 
Bye........
Best wishes from Brazil........
Joana's Hugs.......
Patricia

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Return-Path: 
X-Sender: tapir@tapirback.com
To: tapir@tapirback.com
From: Tapir 
Subject: Tapir Talk: New websites about Belizean ecology
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 08:21:51 -0600

NEW WEBSITES ABOUT BELIZEAN ECOLOGY (and an interesting note about tapirs):

Three new sites have come to my attention, all put together beautifully by
webmaster and photographer, Tony Rath. They all involve ecology,
conservation and wildlife in Belize. Belize is a country where the Baird's
tapir still has a very strong population, and should continue to have if the
conservation programs continue as they are going (if I'm wrong here, someone
please correct me). Other animals are in more danger in that country and
conservation efforts are directed toward saving them. There is current
information on some of these on the sites listed below. There is even a
location called "Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve" on the Audubon site.

When I met Sharon Matola last April, I learned that one of the obstacles
that had to be overcome in Belize as far as teaching people that tapirs were
animals worthy of being protected, was a generally-held belief that a tapir
would skin a human alive with its nose! No wonder people didn't care to
protect them!

Here are the sites:

The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center:

http://www.belizenet.com/belizezoo.html

This zoo and its founder/director, Sharon Matola, have had an immeasurable
impact on conservation in that country, and conservations efforts and
successes are discussed on the site.

The Belize Audubon Society's Website has a lot of information on the Park
system in Belize, including maps of protected areas:

http://www.belizeaudubon.org

The next site, PACT:

http://www.belizenet.com/pact.html

It outlines the Protected Areas Conservation Trust for Belize.  This is an
innovative program for generating conservation dollars from tourism in
Belize. "It might be interesting as case studies," says Tony.

He says, "We are adding in Programmes for Belize, and the United Nations
Small Grants Program in Belize which should add even more tropical
conservation resources to the Internet."

Sheryl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sheryl Todd  ~  The Tapir Gallery  ~  Tapir Preservation Fund    
http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/        tapir@tapirback.com 
Tapir Talk info & archives: http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/tt.htm
Co-Editor, IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group Newsletter
P.O. Box 1432, Palisade, CO 81526 USA    Fax (970) 464-0377
"Promoting the Welfare of Tapirs Everywhere"
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