Tapirs at Macoa

Photo copyright Lee Spangler 2011

With only a few minutes available online, Lee sent me two out of about 50 photos he took of several lowland tapirs frolicking in the waters of the reserve at Macoa, Colombia. The description he gave over Skype was almost completely unexpected! (And we thought tapirs only lounged around trying to catch some zzzzs?) I'd only noted some of the behaviors once or twice during my 40+ years of watching or reading about these animals, and I hadn't heard about other behaviors at all. It was truly fascinating to hear first-hand, and I'll get him to elaborate for us once he has more time. Meanwhile, check out Lee's post on his own blog, "Lee's Daily Adventure." You'll see a couple more shots of these guys. Click on the top photo of Lee's post and notice how hard it's raining! The tapirs loved it. I remember my own tapir, Stanley K., looking to the sky and opening his mouth wide when it would rain. Lee didn't report this behavior, but you'll enjoy hearing the story when he has more time online. Check it out.

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This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

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Leaving for Colombia

On September 8, Lee Spangler left Portland, Oregon, for a month-long trip to Colombia, where he joins experienced naturalist Emilio Constantino for a fascinating ecotour adventure searching out unique flora, fauna, vistas, and cultures. Not the least of his hopes is to see a tapir in the wild. Colombia is the only country in the world that is home to all three American species: mountain tapir, lowland tapir, and (far in the north and hard to reach) a small population of Baird's tapirs. I'll be continuing to post bits of Lee's adventures here on the TPF blog, but you can read and follow along by clicking on the links below. Be sure to sign up for e-mail delivery of Lee's blog posts. He'll post when he can, but since connectivity outside of major towns is very limited, he won't be posting every day. Thanks for checking in, and here are a couple of  links to get you started!

Lee's Daily Adventure
. First post from the trip; note the cool luggage tag 
. Mountain tapir country

Emilio's nature photos on Facebook (There are MANY - check them out! Emilio currently has 68 albums posted!)

The Tapir Preservation Fund and Lee chipped in together to get Emilio a new pair of binoculars. His old ones had endured seven years of extensive use, and he assures me he hopes to get seven more years out of the new pair. Whether they last that long or not remains to be seen. What we know is, the 42-power zoom will reveal many wonders of nature. Stay tuned . . . let's see what they turn up!

Please e-mail your photos and text if you would like to see them on this blog.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Join us on Facebook.

Join WORLD TAPIR DAY on Facebook.