Taipei Zoo to mark World Tapir Day with themed events for guests

Taipei Zoo is hosting tapir-themed events to help visitors learn about the species to celebrate World Tapir Day on 27th April. The Malayan tapir is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Approximately 3,200 Malayan tapirs are estimated to remain worldwide, with about 200 in zoos and 3,000 living in the wild.

Taipei Zoo welcomed a Malayan tapir named Limlu in July. The nine-month-old tapir weighs over 180 kilograms and lives with its mother in the pool area adjacent to the zoo’s pangolin house.

Themed events for visitors to mark World Tapir Day include a Malayan tapir-themed game with prizes for finishers and an interaction on 27th April, with the ‘Malayan Tapir Train Conductor’ appearing at the zoo’s shuttle train station.

Malayan tapirs are born with dark brown fur featuring white stripes and spots, providing camouflage from predators. As they mature, their fur gradually transitions to a black-and-white pattern, usually completed by around six months old.

The zoo said the greatest threats to the Malayan tapir's survival stem from human activities such as illegal logging, slash-and-burn deforestation, and rainforest clearing for agriculture.