  SPECIES SURVIVAL COMMISSION |
Tapir Conservation
The Newsletter of the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group
Number 7, October 1997
See Table of Contents
Guatemala
Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
Estimated population: 1,000-2,500
No report.
Belize
Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
Estimated population: 2,000-3,000
One of the obstacles Sharon Matola had to overcome in teaching tapir conservation in Belize was the widely-held belief that a tapir would skin a human or dog alive with its nose. But education has turned a feared creature into the beloved national animal of Belize. Conservation problems and successes in that country are discussed on the Belize Zoo's new web site: http://belizenet.com/belizezoo.html.
The Belize Audubon Society's web site (http://www.belizeaudubon.org) has information on protected areas and park systems of Belize.
El Salvador
Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
Estimated population: 0
Although it is believed that no tapirs remain in El Salvador, there has been some discussion of reintroduction in the future.
Honduras
Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
Estimated population: 1,000-2,000
A frontier model for landscape ecology: the tapir in Honduras
- Flesher KM, and E Ley. 1996. A Frontier Model for Landscape Ecology: The Tapir in Honduras. Environmental and Ecological Statistics, 3:119-125.
The study was undertaken in 1994 in northeast Honduras, in the Departments of Olancho and Colon. This is a rugged, mountainous area, 10,000-11,500 sq. kilometers of contiguous tropical evergreen rainforest.
However, over the last twenty years, subsistence farmers fleeing environrnental degradation in other parts of Honduras, have been colonizing this study area, and this is threatening to fragment the forest into disconnected patches. For the tapir, this means a larger, connected population shattered into smaller, isolated ones.
Map of Honduras. Dotted areas indicate remaining fragments of rainforest, according to Louise Emmons, Neotropical Rain Forest Mammals - A Field Guide, 1997.
This then brings the risk of inbreeding depression, genetic drift, and stochastic events which reduce their chance of long term persistence.
Flesher and Ley maintain that the key to the long term survival of this population in northeastern Honduras, is to protect it as a single unit, and avoid the negative effects of isolation. Doing this requires maintaining links between the forest reserves which would allow tapirs to pass from one reserve to another.
The interesting approach to continued human colonization in this forested area is to manage further settlement in a way in which both humans and wildlife can be accommodated. Flesher and Ley then set out to accomplish learning how human settlements affect tapir movement.
Borrowing a frontier model from the econometrics literature, they used this to interpret their data set. This paper has important implications for all forest areas where human settlements and wildlife co-exist. It provides a sound and pragmatic approach which could be a model suggesting that the spatial arrangement of human land use practices can be managed in a way which could well determine the future for wildlife in the region.
Kevin Flesher is preparing two additonal papers on this work, giving fragmentation trends and making suggestions for corridor preservation and placement.
Questions on field research:
Kevin Flesher
c/o Richard Hartley
gordon@provider.com.br
Statistical questions:
Eduardo Ley
edley@fedea.es
edley@bigfoot.com
Nicaragua
Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
Estimated population: 500-1,000
No report.
Costa Rica
Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
Estimated population: 1,000
Naranjo: publications and research
Eduardo Naranjo wrote his Master's thesis on T. bairdii in Costa Rica.
- Naranjo EJ. 1995. Abundancia y uso de habitat del tapir (Tapirus bairdii) en un bosque tropical humedo de Costa Rica. Vida Silvestre Neotropical, 4(1):20-31.
- Naranjo EJ. 1995. Habitos de alimentacion del tapir (Tapirus bairdii), en un bosque tropical humedo de Costa Rica. Vida Silvestre Neotropical, 4(1):32-37.
- Naranjo EJ and C Vaughan. Notas sobre la ecologia del tapir en el paramo Centroamericano. Brenesia (in press).
Associate Researcher
El Colegio de la Frontera Sur
Apartado 63
San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Chiapas 29290, México
Tel/Fax (52) 967-81884
enaranjo@master.sclc.ecosur.mx
Christopher Vaughan
Programa Regional en Manejo de Vida Silvestre
Universidad Nacional, Ap. 1350-3000
Heredia, Costa Rica
Tel (506) 237-7039
cvaughan@irazu.una.ac.cr
Sonia Foerster reports on telemetry project in Corcovado National Park
Charles and I have just returned to the U.S. from Costa Rica, and would like to tell you of our successes and failures.
Charles Foerster began a radiotelemetry project with the Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii) in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica in 1994. I am his wife and head veterinarian for the project. I have been involved in organizing medical information, coordinating a team of veterinarians to help with captures, taking part in captures myself, and collecting as much biological data as possible.
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Costa Rica (upper map) and 43,700-hectare Corcovado National Park (lower map). Two life-zones are represented within the park: tropical premontane wet forest and tropical wet forest. About 94% is natural forest; the rest is a mixture of swamps, yolillal palm grove and secondary forest. Elevations range from sea level to 745 m. The Osa Peninsula has two major climatic seasons: rainy (May-November) and dry (December-April) (Vaughan 1991). |
For the first phase of Charles's study, we immobilized and radio-collared five tapirs (three females, two males) in December, 1994. Charles collected field data towards his Master's degree from January, 1995, to June, 1996. Specifically, he documented seasonal variation in home range size and location, activity patterns and habitat selection. During this same period, one female tapir was studied intensively through direct observation to collect data on foraging behavior and social interaction.
We collected field data in more than 4100 locations and logged 280 hours of direct observation (results are to be published soon).
After our great success in collaring and data collection, we contacted several funding organizations with a proposal to capture 20 new animals for a ten-year investigation. We want to continue gathering data on habitat use and activity pattems to identify longer term cycles in tapir behavior. More importantly, with more study animals observed over a longer period, we will be able to document survival rates, reproductive rates and dispersion patterns for this species.
In preparing for this goal, we made a trip to Corcovado in February of 1997 to replace the collars of the original five study animals. We managed to recapture two of the original tapirs (one male, one female). Dr. Danilo Leondro, veterinarian and Head Curator at the San Jose Zoo, Costa Rica, did the immobilizations. The two previously-collared young females had moved their home range far to the north a month or so before we arrived (we believe this was the first documentation of dispersion by juvenile tapirs). Future plans call for finding them and replacing their collars. Unfortunately, the collar of one male broke and fell off just two weeks before our arrival. We had one bit of luck during that trip: while searching for one of the collared animals, we stumbled upon a healthy adult male tapir, immobilized him and fitted him with a transmitter. This again gave us five study animals: two males and one female in the original study area, and two juvenile females 18 km to the north.
We returned to Corcovado in July, 1997, with the goal of capturing 12 more tapirs. We spent five weeks there and were lucky enough to have help from over 12 volunteers, including veterinary students, zoo vets and biologists. We captured five new animals. Our strategy was to locate areas of the forest that are heavily used by tapirs (identified by tracks, heavily browsed areas or fruiting trees known to be eaten by tapirs) and then if the site qualified as a good spot, based on accessibility, distance from a major body of water, etc., the area was baited with ripe bananas.
When one or more tapirs had visited a bait station for several consecutive nights, we would build a platform 10-15 m high in a tree 15-20 m from the bait site. Then we continued to bait that area. When the time was right, two people, usually a veterinarian and a biologist, climbed to the platform just before sundown.
When a tapir was heard approaching the bait site, the two in the tree would wait quietly until the tapir was comfortably eating bananas. For the most part, once they began to eat, we could turn on flashlights and whisper without frightening them. The biologist would continue to throw bananas to keep the tapir in the area and to maneuver the animal into a good position to receive a fired dart.
We immobilize our tapirs with the DanInject CO2 pistol with a combination of Butorphanol and Xylazine. We have had very good results with this combination, as the animals would start showing the initial effects of sedation in just four minutes. They would lie down in approximately twelve minutes. The length of time they were down could be extended with additional doses of Ketamine. Tapirs were immobilized for about 45 minutes, giving us plenty of time to fit the collar (the ultimate priority), take measurements, collect blood, ticks, fecal and vulvar/preputial cultures and skin biopsies. We used a "bedside" monitor to keep tabs on heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, temperature and ECG. We were very happy with the protocol we developed; however, there are some problems that others should be made aware of if they intend to use it. Please contact us if you have any questions.
After the procedures, the anesthetics were reversed with Tolazoline/Naltrexone. The reversals were very smooth. We stayed with the animals until they were no longer ataxic; this took about five minutes.
Charles and Sonia Foerster and two captured tapirs in Corcovado National Park. The tapir is kept on its sternum while anesthetized. Photos © copyright 1997 by Charles and Sonia Foerster.
Three of the new animals captured this time seemed to be part of a family group living within 3 km of the Sirena parkguard station. Moving further from the station, we had a very hard time getting tapirs to come to the bait spots consistently. We suspect this was because those tapirs are not as habituated to hearing or smelling human presence. Also, poacher activity has been reported as close as 4 km from the parkguard station, which could make the tapirs living in that area much more skittish.
We are exploring alternatives to bananas as bait, since the nearest town is a four-hour walk from our study area. In addition, bananas ripen too fast, even when brought in green.
We plan to return within six months. At that time, we will attempt to capture the "far" population again. In the meantime, Charles's assistant, Mark Myers, has remained at the site collecting data on the nine tapirs that are collared and have remained living in the area in which they were captured. Signals for the juvenile animals that dispersed can only be acquired by doing flyovers, since they've moved over 18 km away. Mark has reported seeing a young female with a baby. We are hoping to capture and collar the mother and obtain invaluable information on her movements with the calf. Unfortunately, he has also seen a tremendous number of jaguar tracks following the young tapir.
Just before we left Costa Rica, we immobilized three previously-collared animals to check their collars and obtain more anesthetic and biological data. It is much easier to capture tapir during the day and with a radio antenna to help you!
Late report: A baby has just been born to one of the collared females.
Sonia H. Foerster, DVM
SHernz@aol.com
Charles R. Foerster
CRFoerster@aol.com
11620 E. Sahuaro Dr., Apt. #1065
Scottsdale, AZ 85259 USA
With the Foersters in Costa Rica
by Oscar Habet
On 20th February, 1997, biologist Charles Foerster returned to Costa Rica to continue his work with Baird's tapirs (Tapirus bairdii) in Corcovado National Park. He had obtained his Master's Degree at La Universidad Nacional in Heredia, Costa Rica, working with five tapirs which he had radio-collared during a three-year study. This study focused on activity patterns, diet and foraging behavior, home ranges and habitat use. He has correlated these to the wet and dry seasons in the park.
In Corcovado, October and November receive the highest rainfall (> 500 mm each). In the driest months (January, February and March), less than 100 mm of precipitation falls each month. Annual precipitation varies from 3,500 mm the coast and lowland to 6,500 mm in the higher zones (Hartshorn 1983). The mean annual temperature fluctuates between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius.
Foerster's current work is an extension of his Master's project. It will be a long-term study on reproductive behavior of the species dispersion and habitat use. As it will require a larger sample size, the goal of this year's capture was to collar an additional 12 tapirs. The captures were to take place in July. A number of professionals were invited to assist.
I arrived at "Estacion Sirena" in Corcovado on 10th July, and was greeted by Charles's wife, Sonia Foerster, a veterinarian who assists her husband on the project. Later I met the rest of the crew, including several veterinarians and/or vet techs or vet students. During my stay, there were always seven on the team, though individual participants came and went.
During my 15-day stay at Sirena Ranger Station, I assisted with the tasks at hand, which included looking for suitable capture sites, baiting and platform building. The team left camp at about 4:30 p.m. each day for a one-hour walk to the designated capture site. There were usually two people to a platform, the rest of the team pitching a tent about 200-300 meters away from the site along the main trail. We would wait until about 1 a.m. if no animal was caught. Capture sites were changed often; preferred sites were those where recent tracks were abundant.
Capture was by DanInject pistol containing Butorphanol and Xylazine. In the previous two years, Immobilon had been used, but this year it was decided that the above combination provided better safety factors for humans.
Once a tapir was captured, first and foremost, the collar was attached, making sure there was space for two fingers between the collar and the tapir's neck. This would allow room for growth; any more space allowed the risk of having the animal scratch it off while rubbing against trees. Body measurements were then taken, along with blood samples and swabs from vagina and cloaca. The team would check for parasites, mainly ticks.
An animal is generally down for 30-45 minutes. During this time, monitoring of temperature, heart rate and pulse is critical. When the tapir showed signs of waking from the anaesthesia, it was given a reversing agent for each of the anesthetics, which would help to wake the animal quickly and smoothly.
When I left Corcovado on 24th July, five of the 12 projected captures had taken place, although just one of these occurred during my stay.
There could not have been a better location in which to carry out such an investigation. Corcovado is a haven, not only for tapirs, but for other wildlife as well. Each morning we were awakened by howler monkeys. Spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys and white-faced capuchins all took turns visiting a guava tree that was located in the center of the Sirena Ranger Station. Wildlife in the park has been strictly protected for years, and many of the species appear not to fear the presence of humans.
Oscar Habet
General Curator
Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center
P.O. Box 1787
Belize City, Belize
BelizeZoo@btl.net
Panama
Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
Estimated population: 2,000-5,000
"Up to now no extensive tapir studies have been undertaken in Panama with the exception of Terwilliger's study on Barro Colorado Island in the late 1970s."
Status and Action Plan of Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
Sharon Matola and Heidi Rubio-Torgler
IUCN (in press)
CONTACTS
Chair: Patrícia Medici
Deputy Chair: Sheryl Todd
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