Rare Malayan tapir makes debut at Minnesota Zoo
Visitors to the Minnesota Zoo who want to see the endangered Malayan tapir should plan to visit between 9 and 10 a.m. The boy is still getting used to his living environment.
Courtesy Minnesota Zoo
A two-week-old male Malayan tapir went on display for the first time at the Minnesota Zoo on Wednesday. There are 37 Malayan tapirs in North America, including the zoo’s newest calf. He was born on July 30.
According to Tom Ness, the zoo’s tropical and trail supervisor, tapirs are an endangered species and are not commonly found in the wild. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are only 1,500 to 2,000 Malaysian tapirs in the world. That number is less than the number of tigers in the world.
“Every birth is really important and every animal is really important, which is why this is such an achievement for the staff at the zoo,” Ness said.
The pregnancy of the Malayan tapir lasts 13 months. The last tapir born at the Minnesota Zoo was a female in 2013.
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Visitors may miss the new calf if they don’t arrive in the morning. He stays in the habitat from 9 to 10 a.m. every day to acclimate. After a few weeks, he will spend half a day there with his mother, who along with zoo staff are now teaching him to swim.
“They bonded really well,” Ness said. It was so cute in the morning when they first went out.”
The calf was nervous about entering his new living environment, but after several calls between him and his mother, he finally found his way into his new home.
“They have the baby’s cry,” Ness said of the baby’s cry. It sounded like a big dog crying.”
The calf doesn’t have a name yet, but a naming contest to solicit suggestions is underway. Look for details about that in the next week or so on the zoo’s website .