Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris)
Woolly Mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque)
Asian or Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus)
I'm printing this one due to popular demand, and with the disclaimer that I no longer advocate raising a tapir in the house.
Back in the late '60s, as a half-grown tapir, Stanley broke through a makeshift gate (or maybe we had accidentally left it open) that went from the living room to the bedroom and bathroom (yes, believe it or not, he was raised much of the time in a house). This was in an old building. It was a roughly and cheaply made California grove house that our landlord was waiting to tear down. (Fortunately for us, although sadly, because it had a lot of rustic charm.) The bedroom and bathroom were a step down from the rest of the place.We had gone out on an afternoon drive, ended up chasing bullfrogs in a stream, and arrived home wet and exhausted about 10 o'clock at night. Home alone, Stanley had not been bored. When we opened the front door, the house seemed a bit too humid and warm. We noticed the open bedroom gate (a plywood half-door), then saw that there were about 4 or 6 inches of water on the bedroom floor. The bathroom door was closed. I mean, immediately we figured out who the culprit was, I just didn't know what had happened. At first I was panicked in case he had hurt himself. I waded into the bedroom and shoved on the bathroom door. It was kind of stuck because the water in the bathroom was significantly higher than in the bedroom. The first thing I noticed was a 200 lb. tapir sitting in the bathtub with water overflowing the edge, his head raised into the air and his snout waving about proudly. Far from being hurt, he was in tapir Heaven! He had knocked the bathroom sink off the wall, and a jet of hot water still arc'd directly into the tub. He'd turned on both water taps in the tub, and chewed up a Time magazine sitting on the tub's edge, smashed that into the drain, which got plugged of course, backing up all the water. He had at some point - um - evacuated his large intestines into the water, which is what tapirs do when they get wet - and that, of course just addeded to the earthy jungle-like atmosphere. Was he ever proud of himself! He had also knocked an alarm clock off the shelf in the bedroom, and it was sending a slight buzz through the water everywhere. He didn't seem to mind it. I was really torn between being angry with him (and very, very tired from chasing bullfrogs), and revelling in just how LOVABLE he was sitting in that tub, having created exactly the environment that suited him! I don't remember how I got him out of there, I know he wasn't anxious to leave. I just remember I got to bed very, very late that night. Poor guy, I kinda hated to make him abandon his creation!
This short description is a close encounter that will be enjoyed by tapir fans and nature lovers. Thoughtfully written by research zoologist Alan Rabinowitz, it is found on pages 261-263 of the book, Travelers' Tales Thailand. This is a very nice anthology - you'll enjoy it for more than the tapir story. After his attitude-changing encounter, Rabinowitz continues:
"Many years earlier, a traveler in Burma had described the tapir as 'an enigma,' a survivor of a 'more gentle and legendary time . . . wandering in unique isolation in a world not yet mature enough for its wisdom.'"
This story is being printed for several reasons, among which is the fact that I don't have the name of the reference! If anyone knows the source of this story, please write. It comes from a book with a chapter called "The Tapir." This chapter is from page 112 to page 120. The story quoted here begins on page 119.
"Several years before [U.S. President Theodore] Roosevelt went to South America he confided to Father Zahm that he wished particularly to secure specimens of the jaguar and the tapir, if he were ever able to make the trip there. His wish for a tapir was realized in 1913 on a small tributary of the Paraguay, the Sepatuba (that is, River of Tapirs). On the day appointed for a tapir hunt Roosevelt, Colonel Rondon, Fiala, and several of the native inhabitants, provided with a pack of dogs, started upstream in four boats. After several hours of paddling, a tapir was sighted swimming the river. At the time two of the boats were above the beast and in such a position that a shot from Roosevelt's gun would be dangerous. He held his fire, and the tapir, sighting the canoes which were closing in from two sides, dived. It stayed under water for some time but finally was seen climbing the bank under a dense mass of foliage. The target was anything but good, but Roosevelt fired, hitting too far back. Away it lumbered into the forest, which here everywhere came down to the river's edge a solid wall, impenetrable to a man without a machete. Three or four of the dogs soon were on the trail, however, and shortly afterwards the creature returned to the river far upstream. The boats went after it as fast as the paddles could urge them, but they were too far away to head it off. Fortunately some of the dogs appeared on the bank at this point just as the tapir was starting to climb out of the water. They drove it back to the stream, and, the boats now coming near, it dived again. This time it remained under water even longer than before. It swam underneath the boats and came up near the bank on the other side. Roosevelt shot, and the bullet pierced its brain. The body sank almost immediately, and he was apprehensive lest his prize was lost. The natives assured him, however, that it would come up in an hour or two at approximately the place where it went down. It did come up about three hours later when, completely discouraged, Roosevelt was considering giving it up. The body was now lifted into one of the canoes, and the party headed for camp in jovial mood."It will be noted that the actions of the tapir on this hunt were similar to those already described. . . . If man were not equipped with high-powered rifles the tapir would escape nearly every time. Its perfect adjustment to land and water insures escape from most predaceous enemies."
The story can be read here. There's also a nice photo of Jerry taken by my ex-brother-in-law before Jerry got very famous.
| FOOTNOTES: | |
| penmate list: | From Results of a survey of captive tapirs taken by the TAPIR RESEARCH INSTITUTE between July of 1970 and March of 1971. The same survey reported a tapir killed by its penmate, a hippo. Introducing animals and separating the ones that fight must be one of the more hair-raising jobs a keeper has to perform. BACK |