The tapir in the photo gives an idea of the size of the enclosure, and while it is impressive I cannot remember how big the pool is for the water-loving mammal. Some water can be seen to the far left of the photo.
Actually this enclosure is on the northern side of the central pathway - to the right of the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby enclosure you see near the current entrance and just before the old elephant house.
despite it being now demolished, this exhibit looks better to me than what i've seen of tarongas.
despite the common belief of those responsible for the vast majority of tapir exhibits - tapir are not hippos. land is much, much more important to them than water. whilst obviously the bigger the pool the better, these animals love swimming but are not exactly semi aquatic. i think too much emphasis is placed on water at the detriment of land space in many zoos. tarongas exhibit looks more suited to otters than anything else - and no doubt will become just that once their last malayan tapir dies.
On the subject of tapirs in Australia. What is the situation with Malayans? Are Australian zoos the only ones experiencing this problem with sunlight, or is it common to zoos all over the world?
If it's a problem peculiar to Australia - not unbelievable due to our rather intense UV levels - why aren't we just providing them with suitable enclosures? Densely planted enclosures with a canopy should make Malayan tapirs as comfortable in Australia as anywhere else.
Adelaide Zoo resident 2 female malayan tapirs live under a massive mortan bay fig which provides a lot of protection along with very high walls. But I am unsure how much these things help.
