Baby of rare endangered species born at Chon Buri zoo

Members of the rare endangered tapir species have welcomed a new little member at a zoo in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri province. Although some think tapirs look like pigs with small trunks, they are actually related to horses and rhinos. The new tapir baby was born last month in Khao Kheo Open Zoo, although his birth was only reported in the news yesterday.

The sweet little tapir, a male, was born to his mother Jomklone, and father Wiang, just weeks before the zoo’s 44th anniversary. The zoo director said this week that it was a great pleasure to introduce a new tamir in celebration of the anniversary. He said the baby is strong, healthy, and always attached to his mother. It has not been reported yet what the baby’s name is.

In the early part of baby tapirs’ lives, their fur pattern is said to look like watermelons, because of their stripes. When they are 6 months old, however, their fur pattern changes to become more clearly black and white in larger areas of their body (see the photo of the baby tapir compared to his parents).

The director invites tourists to see the baby tapir at the Khao Kheo Open Zoo in the Bang Phra sub-district of Sri Racha, Chon Buri. He added that those who would like to help the zoo feed its animals can transfer their donations via Krung Thai Bank account 006-0-23655-8 named “กองทุนเพื่อหมีแพนด้า” or contract 038-318444.

Different tapir species are found in South America, and Southeast Asia. The Malayan tapir, found in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia, is usually found in tropical lowland rainforests. The main threat to Malayan tapirs is human activity, including deforestation for agricultural purposes, flooding caused by the damming of rivers, and illegal trade.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s wildlife department is having a tough time feeding thousands of rescued animals on a tight budget, dropping from 80 million baht each year to care for animals, to 30 million baht.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News | Thai National Parks