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The Tapir Blog

Happy Humbug!

Posted December 16th, 2008 by The T-ministrator
Categories: Baird's Tapir, Preservation, Splash Damage

In a manner most appropriate to the commercialised world of modern Christmas, Splash Damage wishes us all a Merry Christmas in a tapiry manner (and not a tree in sight, but certainly a couple of odd-hooved ungulates). Carrying on from their generosity for World Tapir Day, Splash Damage is donating up to UKP 1500 towards the Baird’s Tapir Project of Costa Rica.

For the uninitiated, Splash Damage has the tapir as its mascot, and has some of the coolest tapir cartoons (ever imagined what Indiana Jones would look like if he were a tapir?) throughout its site. Check it out.

Splash Damage - Happy Humbug

Splash Damage - Happy Humbug

Keep your eye on this site for some more Splash Damage-related news soon :)

Live tapir cam.

Posted October 28th, 2008 by The T-ministrator
Categories: Uncategorized, Brazilian Tapirs

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but it’s time again.

It’s been a while since the tapir webcam at Dortmund Zoo disappeared (although baby Ka has now produced two healthy calves of his own - including dear little Indah of late), but there’s a new tapir cam on the block:

Toby and Tara live at the Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall, England.

International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

Posted October 7th, 2008 by The T-ministrator
Categories: Preservation, Conservation - General

The 2008 update to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has been released. The picture remains bleak for many species, with around 25% of all mammals facing extinction.

IUCN entries for the four extant tapir species:

The population trend for all four species is decreasing.

The IUCN is the organisation that presented Patricia Medici, Chairperson of the Tapir Specialist Group, with a Whitley Award earlier this year to recognise her achievements as a world leader in conservation.

Baby Malayan Tapir born at Jackson Zoo

Posted August 23rd, 2008 by The T-ministrator
Categories: Malayan Tapir

Baby Malayan Tapir born at Jackson Zoo

The Jackson Zoo has a new addition to its animal family. Symphony and Larue, the Malayan Tapirs at the Jackson Zoo, are parents to a new bundle of joy. Symphony gave birth to a male tapir around midday last Saturday, zoo officials said.

“We are very excited to welcome this new addition to the Jackson Zoo family,” said zoo director Beth Poff. “We’ve observed the little tyke sticking very closely to his mother, and he seems to be doing very well.”Tapirs are mammals which are often confused with hippos, anteaters and capybaras, zoo officials said.

Their closest living relatives are odd-toed ungulates, horses and rhinos. There are four living species of tapir: Baird’s, Lowland, Mountain and Malayan tapir. Tapirs are endangered.

Juvenile tapirs are spotted and striped, but after six to eight months, coloring will be black on the front half of the body and the hind legs and on the rear half of the body, above the legs, white, zoo officials said. They live about 30 years.

(from http://www.wapt.com/news/17267181/detail.html)

A tapir a day…

Posted August 11th, 2008 by The T-ministrator
Categories: Miscellaneous

It’s been some time since I posted. Sorry about that. Life gets in the way on occasion.

In any case, I’m back, inspired the site “365 Tapirs“, which has the goal of posting a tapir sketch every day for a year.

Tapir with an awesome bunny plush

Here’s hoping they get there.

Healthy balance… or a healthy balance sheet?

Posted June 2nd, 2008 by The T-ministrator
Categories: Malayan Tapir, Preservation, Conservation - General

Healthy balance… for whom?

I recently bought a couple of containers of pineapple juice from one of Australia’s largest juice producers. Proudly proclaiming on its website that:

With 50% less sugar than regular juice, it’s one less thing to worry about. The NEW Berri Healthy Balance range has been developed in response to consumers’ growing concerns about obesity and children’s diets, particularly with regards to sugar and calories.

The NEW Berri Healthy Balance range has half the sugar of regular juice and is made with 50% real fruit juice.

The range provides consumers with an alternate beverage choice, with 50% less sugar than regular juice, but still the terrific taste that you would expect from Berri.

 Upon discovering that the taste was not as terrific as I had expected (or had been promised), I looked at the ingredients:

Palm oil in pineapple juice?!

Palm oil. In what I had thought was pineapple juice (but discovered was only ‘pineapple fruit drink’ due to the content - or lack thereof - of pineapple juice). In the name of supposedly making fruit juice healthier, palm oil had been used. Palm oil that most likely comes from Indonesia or Malaysia, home to between 80% and 90% of the world’s palm oil production. Indonesia is the 3rd largest greenhouse gas producer - primarily due to the massive deforestation that is taking place throughout the country - much created in the establishment of palm oil plantations. Malaysia’s undisturbed rainforest is shrinking as well.

Not exactly what I’d call a healthy balance. More likely a healthy balance sheet. After all, cheap imported palm oil and water is more cost effective than pineapple juice.Not that I’m cynical about this, of course. Australians apparently consume, on average, around 10kg of palm oil a year. If not in the name of reducing costs, why else (and, no, I don’t accept that it is necessary as a source of Vitamin E)? I had always been of the opinion that childhood obesity was caused by other factors such as a lack of exercise and the excessive consumption of junk food, rather than the sugars contained in fruit juice. Clearly I must have been quite mistaken…

For further information, take a look at this brochure from Palm Oil Action Australia, whose website contains even more detailed information about the impact of palm oil. Sure, the site may hardly mention tapirs, but remember that orangutans also live where Asian Tapirs do. Less orangutan habitat means less habitat for tapirs.

World Tapir Day on Cute Overload.

Posted April 28th, 2008 by The T-ministrator
Categories: World Tapir Day

Wolrd Tapir Day on Cute Overload.

“Shine up your schnozzle, ’cause it’s World Tapir Day”.

Cute Overload, the online world’s temple of cuteness has posted about World Tapir Day.

Happy World Tapir Day!

Posted April 27th, 2008 by The T-ministrator
Categories: Malayan Tapir, World Tapir Day

Today is World Tapir Day. I spent much of the day at the Adelaide Zoo, visiting my local tapirs.

Mia and Sulung.

As you can see, Sulung and Mia got into the spirit by celebrating in the typical tapir manner. To be fair to them, it was a bloody cold day with lots of rain. Staying flat to the ground under the tree was probably the best way of enjoying it.

Happy World Tapir Day to you all, wherever you may be. Hope you helped to spread the message about tapir conservation. 2009 World Tapir Day, here we come. If you’d like to be involved, please visit the World Tapir Day website.

Happy 25th birthday April!

Posted April 25th, 2008 by The T-ministrator
Categories: Baird's Tapir, Preservation, World Tapir Day

Happy 25th birthday April!

23 April was April the Tapir’s 25th birthday. As the first reports of the party at the Belize Zoo in her honour come in, it’s a good time to remind people that April is one the reasons that World Tapir Day exists. All profits that World Tapir Day is raising are going toward the Belize Zoo’s tapir conservation projects. Help celebrate her birthday and help raise funds to protect her fellow tapirs!

Support World Tapir Day

Posted April 14th, 2008 by The T-ministrator
Categories: Preservation, World Tapir Day

World Tapir Day logo

Looking for a way to become involved with World Tapir Day? Support the occasion by purchasing merchandise to raise funds for tapir conservation projects! All profits raised are to go to the Belize Zoo, home of April the Tapir, to support their conservation projects. There’s a range of items available with both the official World Tapir Day logo and the mascot (below).

World Tapir Day mascot

Click here to visit the World Tapir Day store on CafePress, or click here to read more details about the fundraising effort on theofficial World Tapir Day site.