  SPECIES SURVIVAL COMMISSION |
Tapir Conservation
The Newsletter of the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group
Volume 9, Number 1, June 1999
See Table of Contents
Panama: A history of tapirs in captivity (1990-1999)
by Rick Barongi
No other country outside of the U.S. has more Baird's tapirs in captivity than the Republic of Panama. Presently there are 15 (eight males and seven females). More encouraging is that six of these animals were born in captivity. On a global perspective almost one quarter (23%) of all the Baird's tapirs in captivity reside in Panama.
When I first visited Panama in 1990 there were only eight tapirs in captivity and no managed breeding program.
Background
The AZA Tapir TAG (Taxon Advisory Group) first got involved with tapirs in Panama in 1990. It began with a request for aid to five starving tapirs at the private estate of the recently deposed General Noriega. Noriega had a private zoo on the grounds of his ranch (called La Escondida) just outside of David in Northern Panama. When he was removed from the country in December 1989 the animals became "victims of war." With no way to pay the workers, the animals starved or subsisted on the sporadic charity of local neighbors.
In October, 1990, I visited La Escondida and provided temporary aid in the form of food and money. My trip was paid for by the San Diego Zoo. Most of the animals at Noriega's zoo had already died or were stolen or escaped, but the five tapirs were still there. One of the tapirs was just five months old, being born at La Escondida. He was able to survive by squeezing through the gate of his pen and eating fallen fruits and leaves from a near by orchard. He would return to his mother, who by this time was too malnourished to provide adequate milk.
In order to attract more attention and assistance for these animals they were given individual names. The oldest male was named Noriega, despite having a far gentler disposition than his namesake. The others males were named Bravo and Santana after some American special forces units. The mother and calf were named Monica and San Diego. The local community suggested San Diego in honor of the help provided by the zoo. A complete story of the Noriega tapirs can be found in the August 1992 issue of the San Diego Zoo magazine, Zoonooz.
Progress
Since 1990, members of the AZA Tapir TAG have managed to visit Panama at least once a year. In 1992 we took a team of tapir experts and veterinarians to Panama to perform immobilizations and physicals on all the tapirs. We also implanted transponders (identification micro chips) under their skin. In 1993, the Noriega tapirs were moved to a private zoo (El Nispero) in El Valle, two hours north of Panama City. In 1994 we conducted a one week conservation workshop for tapirs and other wildlife in Pamana. Over 20 biologists and conservationists from Panama participated. The result was a comprehensive PHVA (Populations Habitat Viability Analysis) document in Spanish. At that time, Panama was the only range country that had an official published plan for the future conservation of the Baird's tapir in the wild and in captivity.
Presently, there are three facilities in Panama that hold and breed tapirs, two public zoos and one private facility. One of these zoos is the Summit Zoo just outside of Panama City in the Canal Zone. This is a beautifully landscaped zoo that is also a botanical garden. It is about 60 acres, but connects to Soberania National Park. They have had three healthy tapir calves born at the Summit but are prevented from breeding more due to lack of exhibit space. The next project is a new tapir exhibit and breeding complex. The facility has been designed and the location selected. Construction will begin when sufficient funds have been acquired.
Challenges for the future
While there have been many improvements for the captive tapirs in Panama, there still remain some long-term challenges. The three facilities don't always agree on exchanging animals, so the best pairings are not always possible. More significant is the reluctance by Panamanian officials to export captive-born tapirs to other recognized breeding programs. The Baird's tapir is an endangered species and on Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). There is some confusion as to the different designations for a wild caught tapir and one born in captivity. Captive-born animals are much easier to export, as their removal is not detrimental to the wild population.
A bigger problem is, how do you reimburse a zoo that sends their tapir to another country without it looking like a commercial transaction? This problem has been successfully dealt with in other species such as the black rhinos and white rhinos of South Africa. In these cases, the animals are exchanged with the agreement that a certain sum of money is then donated to the owner zoo or conservation organization, with the expressed written consent that all the funds are used for the in situ conservation of the species. There is no dealer or middleman involved, and all of the revenue goes to help the species. The species essentially generates its own revenue through captive breeding and export of surplus animals.
Until we can find a way to convince the Panamanian authorities to allow a few captive tapirs out of the country, there will be no incentive for facilities in Panama to keep breeding. The Summit Zoo has already separated all of its breeding pairs to prevent more births.
Reintroduction programs could provide an outlet, but Panama is a long way from developing a secure place for reintroductions. So, we have a Catch-22 problem of not being able to export captive-born tapirs from Panama until we can provide funds for conservation programs in Panama. These funds, of course, would be much easier to secure if they were in exchange for captive-born tapirs from overcrowded zoos in Panama.
Next steps
Panamanian authorities are working with us to resolve this problem. ANAM (National Environmental Authority of Panama) has drafted a proposal that would provide for a special agreement with the AZA Tapir TAG to assist in the development of a comprehensive conservation, education, training and captive reproduction project. The challenge will be to raise funds for this proposal without using surplus captive animals as ambassadors to generate revenue for the species.
Our long-term relationship and commitment to Panama, its people and wildlife, should help us to resolve this dilemma. There is little time left for debate, as time is running out for one of the most endangered mammals in Central America.
What you can do
Despite being the largest land mammal in the Neotropics, tapirs are still one of the least known large mammals in the world. A first step is to make people aware of tapirs, and their highly endangered status. The most effective communication mechanism to date is the tapir web site created by Sheryl Todd at http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/. There is also an IUCN/SSC Tapir Action Plan for global conservation and numerous articles on tapirs in zoos and in the wild. The Tapir TAG compiled a tapir bibliography with over 200 references on tapirs. In recent years this has been expanded to over 500 references and is available on the Tapir Gallery web site.
Tapirs are fascinating creatures and their babies are as cute as any newborn in the animal world. It would be a great tragedy of humanity if we let this species disappear forever. This can be prevented by supporting local and international programs and joining the Tapir Preservation Fund's Club Tapir program (also found on the web site). Another way to support tapirs is to buy a Baird's tapir poster (article on page 4). This beautiful painting of a mother and calf in a forest stream was donated by a very talented Disney Imagineer. All the funds for the posters go into a Tapir TAG account and will be used to support tapir conservation and education in Central America. For tapir poster information contact Rick Barongi (see info at the end of this report).
This report and all the asisstance given to Panama would not have been posible without the asisstance of the following zoos and conservation organizations: San Diego Zoo, WCS/Prospect Park Zoo, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Audubon Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, Miami Metrozoo, Guatemala City Zoo, Belize Zoo, PJ Architects, and CBSG (Conservation Breeding Specialist Group).
Rick Barongi
Disney's Animal Kingdom
P.O. Box 10,000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Fax: (407) 9390-6386
rbarongi@aol.com
Orphaned tapir
"Toto," the baby Baird's tapir confiscated from a hunter, is bottle-fed at Simon Bolivar Zoo in Costa Rica. Photo by Rick Barongi.
Both Rick Barongi and the Foersters have informed us that a young male T. bairdii is being hand-reared in the office of Simon Bolivar Zoo in San Jose, Costa Rica. At last report, "Toto" (a local Indian name meaning "soft,") was doing very well, and was charming staff and visitors alike. Rick noted that the infant tapir looked very healthy and was eating well. Toto's mother was shot by a hunters in a national park, and the baby was brought to the zoo after being confiscated. Toto arrived at the zoo at the end of April, 1999, at the age of 5-6 weeks.
The Tapirs of La Marina
by Rick Barongi
There is a small zoo in northern Costa Rica that is home to the largest group of Baird's tapirs in the world. I have visited the La Marina Zoo three times in the past 18 months and am always amazed at what they have accomplished for one of the most endangered mammals in Central America.
The La Marina Zoo is just outside the city of San Carlos, about two hours' drive from the capital, San José.
The zoo presently has eight tapirs (four males and four females). Of these eight animals, five have been born there since 1996. They all have names and are personal pets of the owner, Doña Elba. Every tapir is very gentle and will roll over on their sides as soon as you start to scratch their flanks or belly.
While all the tapirs at La Marina receive excellent care, La Marina is a private zoo that is always in need of funds to improve its exhibits. With their incredible breeding success, they will need more space for all of the tapirs. A donation to La Marina will allow them to keep breeding tapirs so that these animals can be used to diversify the captive gene pool and maybe one day participate in a reintroduction project.
Studbook news
Tapirus bairdii
The Baird's Tapir International Studbook has moved from the Los Angeles Zoo to the Virginia Zoological Park, Norfolk, Virginia, where Joe Roman is beginning to work on updates. The newly-approved studbook keeper replaces Mike Crotty, who passed away in 1997.
Contact:
Joe Roman
jroman5@ibm.net
Tapirus terrestris
Don Goff at Beardsley Zoo has begun putting together a regional studbook for the lowland tapir in North America. This will be a huge project, as the book is at least five years out of date.
Contact:
Don Goff
Beardsley Zoo
1875 Noble Avenue
Bridgeport CT 06610-1600
Fax: (203) 394-6566
TAG news
The AZA Tapir TAG is composed of a Steering Committee of nine members, all from AZA accredited institutions. The members, who have just been elected, are: Rick Barongi, Disney's Animal Kingdom (Chair); Lewis Greene, Wildlife Conservation Society (Vice Chair); John Carnio, Metro Toronto Zoo; Mike Dee, Los Angeles Zoo; Elizabeth Frank, Milwaukee Zoo; Carmi Penny, San Diego Zoo; Alan Shoemaker, Riverbanks Zoo; Alan Sironen, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo; and Diana Weinhardt, Houston Zoo. Dr. Donald Janssen, San Diego Zoo, is the Veterinary Advisor. Additional advisors are Sharon Matola, Belize Zoo; Bruce Read, Disney's Animal Kingdom; and Sheryl Todd, Tapir Preservation Fund.
Sharon Matola and Sheryl Todd, both officers in the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group, have been asked to help define the role of the TAG in international conservation programs.
Sian Waters has resumed the position of Chair of the Tapir TAG in Europe. She is now Curator of Mammals at the Rome Zoo. Her e-mail is: Bioparco@pronet.it.
CONTACTS
Chair: Patrícia Medici
Deputy Chair: Sheryl Todd
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