It\u2019s a special day at a zoo in Hertfordshire celebrating the first birth of its kind for 14 years. <\/p>\n
A new lowland tapir calf was born after a 430-day pregnancy. <\/p>\n
They\u2019re under pressure in the wild because of predators, habitat loss and slow reproduction rates. <\/p>\n
Hertfordshire Zoo said the calf, which hasn\u2019t been named yet, was on his feet in ten minutes <\/p>\n
Lowland tapirs are currently classified as vulnerable on the International Union of Conservation of Nature’s Red List, due to deforestation and habitat loss. <\/p>\n
Watch: The newborn explores his surroundings at Hertfordshire Zoo.<\/p>\n
The calf’s mother is a 20 year old tapir, called Fifi who was pregnant for over a year. <\/p>\n
This is her fourth calf, and the zoo say that both mother and baby are doing exceptionally well, but will be kept under close supervision. <\/p>\n
Fifi with zookeeper James. Credit: Hertfordshire Zoo<\/p>\n
Tyler Whitnall, Managing Director of Hertfordshire Zoo, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWelcoming our first lowland tapir calf in 14 years is an incredibly proud moment for everyone at Hertfordshire Zoo. And Fifi is proving to be an exceptional mum already. <\/p>\n
“This birth represents hope for a species that is under increasing pressure in the wild. <\/p>\n
“Hertfordshire Zoo has been a long term supporter of the Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative, who are helping protect the future of lowland tapirs in South America.”<\/p>\n
The newborn calf out and about at Hertfordshire Zoo. Credit: Hertfordshire Zoo<\/p>\n
Newborn lowland tapirs are born covered in vivid cream stripes and spots, this differs completely from the dark grey coats of adults.<\/p>\n
In the wild, the stripes and spots provide vital camouflage by mimicking the dappled light of the rainforest floor.<\/p>\n
The distinctive pattern will gradually fade over the coming months as the calf develops its adult coat.<\/p>\n
Often referred to as the ‘gardeners of the forest’, tapirs play a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems through seed dispersal.<\/p>\n
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know\u2026 <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a special day at a zoo in Hertfordshire celebrating the first birth of its kind for 14…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":693019,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[90,56,54,55,4407],"class_list":["post-693018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=693018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/693019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=693018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=693018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=693018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}