Antwerp Zoo welcomes Malayan tapir calf earlier than expected
A Malayan tapir has been born at Antwerp Zoo. The male calf arrived earlier than expected and was delivered in front of visitors in the indoor enclosure.
Mother Nakal and the calf were then transferred to the zoo’s maternity unit, where they can be seen by the public. The calf's name will be decided via a poll on the zoo’s Instagram page.
A young tapir looks very different from an adult, with its distinctive black fur with wide white stripe. For the first three to six months, the animal's fur is brown with white patches and stripes, making camouflage in the forest easier.
The largest of the five tapir species, the Malayan tapir is seen as essential to the local ecosystem, as the animals only half digest seeds from plants they eat, making it easy for them to germinate from their excrement.
The species is highly endangered, due to illegal hunting, forest clearing and habitat fragmentation in its native Southeast Asia, with the population estimated at only 2,500.
#FlandersNewsService | The new tapir calf and its mother at Antwerp Zoo © PHOTO JONAS VERHULST
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