A Tapir Gallery Online Reprint

TPF News header
Vol. 4, No. 3 ~ March 2001                         A publication of the Tapir Preservation Fund ~ Palisade, Colorado, USA


Houston Zoo Donates $10,000 for 2001 Tapir Symposium

In February, 2001, the Houston Zoo sent us a check for $10,000 to be used for the First International Tapir Symposium. The event will be held in November in San Jose, Costa Rica. Both the zoo and its new director, Rick Barongi, have a long-standing involvement with tapirs. Sheryl Todd, TPF’s president, asked Rick a few questions:

ST: Rick, both you and the Houston Zoo are putting a lot of resources into the upcoming tapir symposium. Why is it so important?

RB: This is the first ever international symposium on tapir conservation. It is of critical importance that all four tapir species receive more exposure and support from the international community. The Houston Zoo is a leader in Central and South American zoo-based conservation programs, so this symposium fits well with our conservation mission.

ST: Is there a significance to the choice of Costa Rica as a venue?

RB: We believe it is very important to host this conference in a tapir range country. Costa Rica is an excellent conservation role model for other countries that have wild tapirs.

ST: Your personal interest in tapirs goes way back. In fact, a few years ago you were among the group from San Diego Zoo that rescued several tapirs from Noriega’s abandoned estate in Panama. Was it that event that first piqued your interest in tapirs, or had something about them caught your attention before that?

RB: Actually my interest in tapirs goes back to 1982 when I was Curator of Mammals at the Miami Metrozoo. We had a Malayan tapir born and I had a lot of trouble finding any information on tapir births and maternal behavior. We had breeding pairs of Malayan and Baird's tapirs at Miami and I got a lot of experience working with both species. I presented a tapir husbandry paper at an AZA conference in 1986 and then zoo people started calling me for tapir advice.

ST: What can and should zoos do to promote tapir conservation?

RB: Zoos need to improve their exhibits for tapirs and incorporate their biology and conservation in exhibt graphics and in educational material. Zoo tapirs should be used as ambassadors for their wild counterparts. People need to understand how endangered most of the tapir populations are in the wild. Most importantly, zoos can help to create awareness and support for tapirs and their habitat.

ST: What can the general public do to help save tapirs from extinction?

RB: The general public can support tapir conservation in several ways. They can support tapirs in zoos with adopt-an-animal programs. They can donate to tapir conservation projects through the Tapir Preservation Fund. They can also travel to tapir countries and participate in responsible eco-tours that benefit the local people. These tourist dollars help to convince the local people (and governments) of the value of their wildlife so they protect it rather than destroy it.

TPF has its own history with the Houston Zoo - a history that began with the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. As you may remember, Sheryl Todd along with Robert Wilson, both founders of the Tapir Research Institute of Claremont, California, were inspired by this film to begin a study of tapirs. And the study led to raising two of the them. The first, Stanley, a lowland tapir, found a new home at the Houston Zoo in 1972, when he was four years old and too frisky for his quarters in Claremont. We also thought he should have a mate.

Richard Quick, Houston Zoo’s Curator of Mammals at that time, wrote: “Of course Stanley was kept in isolation for several weeks before being presented to the [two] females. The first night in their pen he took sole possession of the shelter and apparently has remained dominant, though benevolently so, since then.”

Stanley's baby, Melon
Stanley K. Tapir's baby, "Melon," stands between
mother tapir's big feet. Photo by Houston Zoo, 1973.


Only a few months later, we were terribly saddened to hear of Stanley’s death from complications of an abscess. He had gotten along well with the females, but nobody suspected that either one was pregnant. Then, on August 31, 1973, “Melon” was born. She was Stanley’s daughter. Melon produced seven offspring of her own, six of which survived. All of them were traded to other zoos. Melon lived at the Houston Zoo until her death in 1999 at the age of 25.

Although none of Stanley’s descendants still lives at the Houston Zoo, two other lowland tapirs do. Zoo Registrar Andrea Martin told us they are 22-year-old Nick, a male on loan from the Columbus Zoo, and 10-year-old Casaba, a female on loan from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

TPF thanks the Houston Zoo for supporting The First International Tapir Symposium and for its continued interest in tapirs. The Houston Zoo will be listed as a major sponsor for this first-ever international tapir symposium. And, a portion of the donation will go to purchase tapir habitat in Costa Rica.

In addition to their generous cash contribution, the Houston Zoo will print and mail formal invitations for the symposium and will supply the labor needed to upgrade the Baird’s tapir exhibit at the Simon Bolivar Zoo in San Jose, Costa Rica, or to build a new one. TPF and Club Tapir are helping to raise funds. We’re still waiting for a complete budget, but Rick tells us, “It is safe to assume that the zoo will need more than $5,000 to do a new exhibit. We will build the exhibit according to how much money we raise. The more we raise the better we can make the exhibit.” Funds are needed by May.


Foot and mouth disease: a danger to tapirs?

Foot and mouth disease is spreading to various parts of the UK. We’ve had several questions about whether tapirs can get it, since it affects not only ruminants (such as cattle, pigs, deer, and goats), but a diverse list of other animals including elephants and hedgehogs. We asked Donald L. Janssen, DVM, Dipl ACZM, Director of Veterinary Services at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, whether tapirs can get it. He replied:

"I have an answer, but with qualifications . . . Foot and Mouth Disease is a highly contagious disease with a broad host spectrum. Please see the OIE site for a summary of the disease:

http://www.oie.int/eng/maladies/fiches/A_A010.HTM

"Perissodactyls, horses most notably, are resistant to the disease. It is unlikely that tapirs are susceptible to the disease as either hosts or carriers."


Kaimu grows into his adult colors

Masayuki Adachi, a keeper at Japan's Chiba Zoo, has been keeping us up to date on the growth of the little Asian tapir Kaimu, who has unusual white markings. Kaimu is now six months old . . .

Baby Kaimu grows up
Kaimu’s unusual neck markings are at least as pronounced on his
other side. In his pictures, they appear to be approximately symmetrical.
Photo © 2001 Chiba Zoo


One thing the photo doesn't show . . . is that Kaimu's eyes are blue. This blue color can be found in both calves and adults, in the wild and in captivity, and comes from exposure to light. So many tapirs have the blue coloration, that publications have sometimes mentioned it as the natural eye color of tapirs.


Georgetown tapirs

Work is almost completed on the tapir enclosure at Guyana's Georgetown Zoo. This effort was a collaboration among Club Tapir, the Philadelphia Zoo, and AZA’s Zoo Conservation Outreach Group (ZCOG). This month we’ve run out of space, but next issue we’ll print the story with pictures. One photo shows how a tapir is distracted while the vet sneaks up to administer an anesthetic - a necessity in order to move the large animal to his new home!


Two more projects funded

This month we sent Anders Siren $170 for his private reserve in Ecuador. $150 came from TPF, and another $20 from your earmarked donations. We’re also continuing to collect money towards Paul Beckham’s challenge grant for Emilio Constantino in Colombia. Contributions now total $215. When we reach $500, Paul will match it.


Tapirs in print

Elaine Beckham writes that "My Generation," a publication of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), features a tapir this month. "Page 28 has an article called 'Working: Talk to the Animals.' Subtitled 'Stuff to know if you're thinking about a job in a real zoo.' . . . And, would you believe it, the one and only photo they have is of Ayessa Rourke, a zoo keeper at Los Angeles Zoo, crouched down next to Emmit, a mountain tapir!”


Editors:
Sheryl Todd, tapir@tapirback.com
Kate Wilson, kmwilson@mindspring.com



Club Tapir winners for February 2001

1st place: First International Tapir Symposium, 2001

This month Club Tapir collected a record $675 - that’s $75 more than our previous record. Our first-place winner, the symposium, will receive $540. This amount will be enough to bring one participant from a nearby tapir range country such as Mexico, a Central American country, or even one of the northernmost countries of South America. Or, we can use it to pay part of the cost to bring one participant from a range country further away. We’ll keep you posted as plans develop. Thanks to all of you who contributed to Club Tapir this month!

Read more about the symposium and the outstanding contributions by the Houston Zoo in this month’s issue of TPF News. The symposium will be held from November 3 to 8, 2001, in San Jose, Costa Rica.

2nd place: Sharon Matola, Macal River Valley, Belize

As Club Tapir’s second-place winner this month, Sharon Matola will receive $135 to help in her ongoing fight against the building of the Chalillo Dam in Belize’s Macal River Valley. The current amount puts our total contribution to her work at an even $3200. Sharon says, “The help received from TPF has assisted in getting us this far, believe me.” She was referring to the latest development - an article in the New York Times entitled, “Upbeat Plan for a Dam in Belize Turns Nasty.” You [could at the time] read the article online.

One criticism by the Belize government has been that local environmentalists are turning what should be an internal situation into an international “cause.” However, the Times article points out, “If local developers and government officials are wooing foreign investors with environmentally sensitive projects [the environmental-ists say] then environmental activists must respond by bringing in help from abroad.” The article goes on to say that “[Environmentalists] have also questioned the dam as unnecessary and uneconom-ical, and say it will enrich only a small clique while not cutting electricity rates for residents.” “An initial feasibility study warned against it because of a potentially harmful environmental impact.”.


Club Tapir Donor List for February, 2001

Masayuki Adachi, Japan
Gilia Angell, USA
Michelle & Scott Babcock, USA
Jo Ann & Cemil Bayrakci, USA
Michael Boyle, USA
Alex Cárdenas, Panamá
Oliver Cartwright, England
Sean Culpan, Scotland
Sharon Danielsen, USA
Nicola DeBolt, USA
Michael Dee, USA
Irma and Guenter Drewnitzki, Germany
Karin Drewnitzki, USA/Germany
Ellen Dwight & Ken Aron, USA
Rachel T. Emmer, USA
Kevin Flesher, USA
Heidi Frohring, USA
Della M. Garell, USA
Alice Gilley, USA
Greater Cleveland Chapter, AAZK, USA
Lisa Green, USA
Chrissi Hadley, USA
Bob & Karen Hall, Australia
Shannon Hiemstra, USA
Dana Hoffman, USA
Stephan Hunziker, Switzerland
Akira Ito, Japan
Ann Iverson-Dawson, USA
Peter Jackson, USA
Audrey Jakab, USA
Sally & Harvey James, England
Gernot Janda, Austria
Donald Janssen, USA
Kathy Knight, England
Dawn Kravagna, USA
Carol Langford, USA
Dean Leverett, England
Rob Lyman & Christine Kim, USA
Chuck Mancuso, USA
Andy Markley, USA
Sharon Matola, Belize
Patricia Medici, Brazil
Dennis Milam, USA
James Nelson, USA
James Norton, USA
Judith Norton, USA
James Powell, USA
Justine Powell, Australia
Mark & Carol Reid, Canada
Ayéssa Rourke, USA
Leonardo Salas, Venezuela/USA
Andrew Schultz, USA
Peggy Shaver, USA
Toshio Shiraishi, Japan
Wendy Skriver, USA
Brandie Smith, USA
Timothy Somers, USA
Michael Souza, USA
Tamsin Spargo, England
Michele Stansbury, USA
Lauren Svitil, USA
Alex & Susan Sze, USA
David & Noel Thornton, USA
Gary & Beth Todd, USA
E.V. Todd, USA
Ted and Lois Todd, USA
Eric Truelson, USA
Marguerite H. Tucker, USA
Elizabeth Weaver, USA
Jill Wheeler, USA
Kate Wilson, USA
Sally Woodcock, England
Woodland Park Zoo Asian Forest Volunteers, USA
Chantal Wright, USA
Wendy Zhang, USA


All tapirs are endangered species.
Saving tapirs helps save the rainforest.


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