The striped young animal can also be observed by visitors through a large viewing pane. At the moment the baby tapir is still in the heated indoor area and explores the surroundings with its prehensile snout.
The keepers have been waiting longingly for the offspring. Tapirs have a relatively long gestation period of over 13 months. Donna Lucia only came to Schmiding in March 2021. According to this, male tapirs Poroto and Donna Lucia must have mated in the first half of the year after they met.
In the last few weeks, the advanced stage of pregnancy could already be seen on ultrasound images. The animal keepers have prepared the barn for the newcomer. The barn was thickly strewn with straw, and the temperatures are reminiscent of the animals’ homeland: South America. The pool of water is now less full to prevent the hatchling from falling in and drowning. “We are proud and happy that the young animal is doing so well now,” says animal keeper Sonja Kornter.
Lowland tapirs are native to South America and are also called “living fossils”: their body shape has not changed for more than 50 million years. The closest relatives of the endangered animals are horses and rhinos.
Source: Nachrichten