Brevard Zoo Announces Birth Of Baby Baird’s Tapir
By Space Coast Daily // April 29, 2013
Born On April 2 To Its Mother Josie
BREVARD COUNTY • VIERA, FLORIDA – Another young face will be making their first appearance this spring at the Bevard Zoo.
In the late afternoon on April 2, the zoo welcomed the addition of a baby Baird’s Tapir.
The baby girl Baird’s Tapir made her debut two weeks after her birth with her mom, Josie. Zoo officials report that the baby Baird’s Tapir and its mother will be on exhibit daily in the La Selva area of the zoo.They are sharing their time between the exhibit and their barn.
Baird’s tapirs are the largest mammals native to Central America.
They are a primitive animal that resembles the ancestor of rhinos and horses and have changed very little in the last 35 million years. Tapir’s are characterized by a long, fleshy nose, like a shortened version of an elephant’s trunk and live in tropical forests and grasslands.
The species is currently declining as a result of habitat destruction and hunting. Baird’s Tapirs can grow to 5 feet in length and weigh up to 550 pounds when mature.
