Malayan Tapirs in Australia

C

Coquinguy

Well-Known Member
just been checking ISIS, it seems Taronga has lost Denise. At nearly 14 years of age when she was imported in the late 1990s from America, has she died of old age or been sent elsewhere? (does make you wonder why taronga spent such money on their wild asia exhibit doesnt it?)
her departure leaves just the male alone, the only male in Australia. His daughter, now about ten years of age is still in Melbourne and 2 females are in Adelaide.
Get your photos people
 
suddenly one year when I went to Melbourne zoo, the bison and the Tapir was gone, I'm sure what exactly happened but I remember something was said about eyesight being destroyed in Australian Climate on another thread.

The Tapir is no longer on the map in Melbourne zoo not sure where she went, just know apparently she was the first Malayan Tapir to be born in Australia,
 
so am i correct in guessing that adelaide has mother and female offsrping (2000) left? such a shame the tapirs got the eye condition as this program was off to a good start
 
On my last visit to Melbourne I did some snooping around the tapir exhibit(I just looked over the fence) and it shows signs that it is still in use. There are tracks in the grass where she must repeatedley walk and seeing as the exhibit is not much good for any other species of animal I would say that she is still alive but just off exhibit.
 
and yes im pretty sure Semangka was an Australian first, although Adelaide did have tapirs since around 1995 and a birth in Sept 2000
 
oh damn, Malayan Tapir's one of my fav animals, shame that it is off display. Would anyone know more about the fly problem with their eyesight?
 
Tapirs, big cats, bears (except for sun bears), etc, are all on the decline in Australia, and throw in hoofstock and I'm beginning to wonder what the major zoos will look like in another decade. I've been following the thread on macaques but I actually feel as if Aussie zoos have found success with primates. There are probably around 15 different species at both Taronga and Adelaide, about 18 at the Melbourne Zoo, and loads of monkeys scattered all over the nation.
 
Do you mean the Adelaide male? Dunno, jay, that was a surprise to me too.

Malayan tapirs in our region are a disappointment. They are a very interesting and attractive species that has limped along here for years. Its nobody's fault particularly - but the terrible blindness problem, which no one seems to have an answer for, has resulted in an almost certain loss of Malayan tapirs as a species here. Damn!

Incidentally, the loss of Denise has shown (to me anyway) that trying to divide our large mainstream zoos into zoogeographic regions, while superficially desirable, is wasteful of resources. I was at Taronga the other day and Denise's enclosure is now just occupied by a few carp in the pond.This enclosure would be very suitable for either Pygmy hippos or South American tapirs, but being located in the Wild Asia section of the zoo, it would be a bit incongruous.

Melbourne zoo's pygmy hippo enclosures are probably also sitting vacant, being located in a dedicated African area of the zoo.(Please correct me if I'm wrong about that.)
One day they will get pygmy hippos to put into them, but until then I would like to see them put to productive use.

Call me a dreamer (Chorus: You're a dreamer!) but I would like to see zoos in our region become a stronghold for neotropical tapir species. The climate is right; the seasons are right; and tapirs are some of the few hoofstock which are not prohibited importation.
At the moment there are 4 male and 7 female Tapirus terrestris in the region. Maybe a bit of fresh blood for them and, dare I say it, maybe a few Baird's or even Mountain tapirs? (I know,I know, I'm really being unrealistic now!)
 
Ara said:
Incidentally, the loss of Denise has shown (to me anyway) that trying to divide our large mainstream zoos into zoogeographic regions, while superficially desirable, is wasteful of resources. I was at Taronga the other day and Denise's enclosure is now just occupied by a few carp in the pond.This enclosure would be very suitable for either Pygmy hippos or South American tapirs, but being located in the Wild Asia section of the zoo, it would be a bit incongruous.
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well taronga has a South American Tapir in the african waterhole section so moving it to the nicer pools in Wild Asia woud just relocate an existing geographical error and fill up a nice empty pool :p
 
yes but it goes against spending $45 million on an asian rainforest for south american tapirs.
i think that the otters would benefit from a bit more space, and saltwater crocs would be good in there too, but at the end of the day....its a tapir exhibit. the zoo would have been better off not spending the money in the first place on their enclosure. alternatively, i still think tapir should be given a second shot at life in australia. the eye condition seems to underline the shortcomings of earlier exhibits. if polar bears can be displayed in QLD, cant tapirs be kept in Australia in better enclosures which fully replicate their natural habitat.
 
To replicate the Malayan forest ( for Malayan Tapir) I presume they would go for a very shady swampy-marsh like exhibit, what exactly causes the flys in the first could be a source. As apparently particular soils keep particular insects away, elephants being so intelligent and having a high snese of smell have and excellent method of applying dust that apparently it help keeps Mosquitos away,
 
I would love to see the tapir in Aust. continued. If the matter was about sunlight, or needing a lot more shade than that should be easy enough to ensure in new enclosures. Whatever the reason it is sad to see the purpose built enclosures at Taronga not being used properly.
 
Ara, the enclosure at Melbourne zoo for Pygmy Hippo are holding Asian short clawed otter on one side and carp on the other side...I think the otters are ok 'cos most people don't even realise that it is an African Rainforest but I would rather an empty exhibit then a pond full of carp.
 
i think what Jay is saying, and what im saying, is that zoos have spent tens of millions of dollars, decades rebuilding and many years reorgansing collection plans to fit bio-climatic themes only to see the whole concept shot to pieces because breeding programs are failing....and so it is a shame to see a hippo exhibit in an 'authentic' AFRICAN forest filled with Asian otters, on so many levels. for starters, its wrong geographically. you then cannot interpret or wouldnt bother to interpret that aspect of the forest ecosystem (and lets face it were already missing a fair chunk of the cast) without hippo, and finally, for those in the know, a tapir or hippo exhibit with something else in it really exemplifies the in-action which in this case could end up costing zoos legit exhibits.
carp or otter, i dont really care.
 
I'm only not sure but is the former small-clawed otter exhibit becoming a future home for the binturongs?
 
glyn said:
i think what Jay is saying, and what im saying, is that zoos have spent tens of millions of dollars, decades rebuilding and many years reorgansing collection plans to fit bio-climatic themes only to see the whole concept shot to pieces because breeding programs are failing....and so it is a shame to see a hippo exhibit in an 'authentic' AFRICAN forest filled with Asian otters, on so many levels. for starters, its wrong geographically. you then cannot interpret or wouldnt bother to interpret that aspect of the forest ecosystem (and lets face it were already missing a fair chunk of the cast) without hippo, and finally, for those in the know, a tapir or hippo exhibit with something else in it really exemplifies the in-action which in this case could end up costing zoos legit exhibits./QUOTE]

I only partially agree with you and Jay on this issue. First and foremost a husbandry-exhibit issue exists in Australia with enclosures being too openly spaced and being non forested which have induced permanent eye-damage and blindness among Malayan tapirs in Australia. Secondly, in 2 zoos breedings occurred and might have continued if species management had achieved a long-term vision for Malayan tapirs in Australia. Which means addressing the Bio-security and veterinary health issues in Australia with imports of exotic species (personally I find them draconian-not effective and by-passing the real issues, e.g. biodiversity crisis and/or endangered species management issues both native and exotic). To be reflective on European issues: in this respect the EU-laws on domestic stock versus exotic species are equally in a disjunct imbalance.

Now when you read this, please my respected Australian friends and fellow forumsters ... do not jump on the bandwagon (and shout about Bio-security only) while ignoring what I am trying to get across on Malayan tapir management in Australia!
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Is dietary issues a big or moderate problem for Tapirs in zoos? e.g constipation, bowel problems.
 
jelle i dont quite get what you are trying to say? malayan tapirs can be imported into this country, the ban exists for artiodactyls which doesnt cover tapirs.
the main flaw in this program is the zoos, namely taronga and then melbourne, had tapirs which developed eye conditions which many believe are an acquired condition from UV exposure. had the zoos rectified this issue earlier, or even factored it in to new enclosures than the program may have had a future.
when melbourne first acquired Semangka from Sydney she was kept in a lightly forested exhibit, as were taronga's first pair. once again, their new enclosure in wild asia needed to be modified to block UV exposure.
from the start, or at least learning from their mistakes, the zoos should have, and could have given the animals more shade!
 
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