Malayan Tapirs in Australia

I wouldn't have thought it would be difficult to provide heavily shaded enclosures. Think of the rainforest aviary at Taronga. That would be dark enough, I imagine. While it might be difficult to see tapirs in all that undergrowth, especially for the 'quick glance I can't see anything' crowd Imagine what it would be like to be there when suddenly out of the shadows appears this magnificant creature.
 
Theorictically speaking if Tapirs lived in africa and we would be able to get umbrella or Butterfly trees it would be the perfect shade and food source for them, only hypotheisising since it could be poisionous to them, is there a tree like that or one that provides a dome like canopy in south-east asia?
 
jay said:
I wouldn't have thought it would be difficult to provide heavily shaded enclosures. Think of the rainforest aviary at Taronga. That would be dark enough, I imagine. While it might be difficult to see tapirs in all that undergrowth, especially for the 'quick glance I can't see anything' crowd Imagine what it would be like to be there when suddenly out of the shadows appears this magnificant creature.
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The rainforest aviary has taken years to establish, many of the trees are ten or twenty years old. Unfortunately, you can't create a habitat like that overnight.

:)

Hix
 
yes, this is true Hix, the rainforest aviary has taken many decades to establish the canopy effect we today enjoy, but there is no reason Taronga couldnt have created shadier enclosures for their tapirs earlier on, whether by using natural trees or artificial means.
it could have went all Cincinatti Sumatran Rhino and virtually sealed out all UV with artificial shade structures, but the newest enclosures are pretty much too little too late. even a real canopy of trees could have been provided; during Wild Asia's construction dozens of mature trees were transplanted in from other sites across the zoo. as it is, the army camo draped without imagination over the underwater exhibit was installed well after Wild Asia opened, which to me typifies the Australian approach to this species.
as an endangered species which actually can be imported, with a long life span and being an asian species, i would love to see this species prioritised again in the future but this time given better conditions.
 
glyn said:
yes, this is true Hix, the rainforest aviary has taken many decades to establish the canopy effect we today enjoy, but there is no reason Taronga couldnt have created shadier enclosures for their tapirs earlier on, whether by using natural trees or artificial means.
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Agree 100%. I was simply pointing out that the Rainforest Aviary effect was not an overnight fix.

:)

Hix
 
I realise that the rainforest aviary did not happen overnight, I was using it as an example of the sort of enclosure that might be suitable for the tapir here in Australia.
 
and with taronga's budget, buying in fully mature trees or sourcing them off-site as they did with the orangutan exhibit's fig tree could have even been an option. bamboo also tends to clump up and thicken rapidly.
dragonelenerd, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii hhhhhhhhaaaaaaavvvvvvvvveeeeee no idea what your last post meant
 
oh what I meant is that, there might be a great natural resource that can be used for shade and food,
 
glyn said:
and with taronga's budget, buying in fully mature trees or sourcing them off-site as they did with the orangutan exhibit's fig tree could have even been an option. bamboo also tends to clump up and thicken rapidly.
dragonelenerd, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii hhhhhhhhaaaaaaavvvvvvvvveeeeee no idea what your last post meant
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The trees for the Orang Utan exhibit were planted several years before they were relocated to the gardens around the current exhibit. These trees were not fully mature when they were planted and are still growing.
Many species of plants/trees are not suitable as they are browse species ie fig, bamboo and the options to prevent such a strong, large bodied mammal from accessing these plants in their exhibit would be very difficult.
 
that's good, we don't want a diet disaster like the one with the Sumatran Rhinos,
 
that's good, we don't want a diet disaster like the one with the Sumatran Rhinos, ;)
 
Hi, the male malayan tapir at Adelaide Zoo died a few months ago, from memory it was a twisted bowel which I'm told is common in ungulates. So yeah it's mum and offspring left at Adelaide.
 
pongogirl, i had been under the impression that the large fig tree was transplanted in...and that roads had to be closed to do it. i could be wrong but, and as i have aerial footage of taronga in the 1980s with a large tree on the site ive always been a bit confused. but im sure they transported the tree in
 
and one other point, binturong were originally mixed with the otter when the asian rainforest at MZ first opened but the binturong kept escaping
 
glyn said:
and one other point, binturong were originally mixed with the otter when the asian rainforest at MZ first opened but the binturong kept escaping
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Thanks Glynn for mentioning MZ as I am finding people are making posts within the one thread and can mention 2 or more different zoos. It can become confusing as to which zoo is being referred to. MZ & TZ have had binturong escapes over the years all with the animals being returned to their respective facilities. The mixed species option for binturong/otters is a good one and needs to be incorporated into the original design/plan to help ensure success.
 
glyn said:
pongogirl, i had been under the impression that the large fig tree was transplanted in...and that roads had to be closed to do it. i could be wrong but, and as i have aerial footage of taronga in the 1980s with a large tree on the site ive always been a bit confused. but im sure they transported the tree in
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The fig tree is question, I believe is the large one behind the bird aviaries and beside the old tamarin house?? This is a tentative heritage listed tree and has been estimated at over 50 years of age, all other trees in the vicinty of the Orang Utan exhibit/night house were transplanted during construction. The planting of these trees did involve the closer of zoo roads and there were police escorts from the botanical gardens with the other trees.:)
 
rightio. thanks for clearing that up...i'd always wondered. the tree itself clearly looks old, and firmly established and yet as i said there was this whole memory of road closures and wholescale transplants in the back of my mind (as i would have been around 8 at the time it wouldnt have suprised me if id gotten it wrong).
whilst on the topic of figs, with so many magnificent specimens I wish Taronga could interpret these remarkable plants and how so many animal species around the world are dependent on them for survival.
back to the malayan tapir...tapir to binturong to trees...i guess the point weve raised and solved is that you certainly could create a semi-mature rainforest rather quickly with transplanted trees...just wish more trees had been used earlier on for this species...thanks again for your help
 
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