Tapirs in the snow at Dudley Zoo, UK

These four photos of lowland tapirs in the snow (January 4, 2009) were sent to me by tapir keeper Laura Robbins of Dudley Zoo, West Midlands, UK. She said the two younger tapirs shown here didn't mind the snow at all and seemed curious about it, although the older female preferred to stay indoors. I guess she didn't enjoy the cold! The tapirs' names are Meena and Izzy.

When I looked up Dudley Zoo online, I found that it is located in a picturesque 11th Century Norman castle.

There's a lot going on at the zoo in terms of education and conservation. The zoo staff also took part in a somewhat startling fundraiser this year - the keepers came to work wearing just about what the animals wear. That is . . . well, maybe you should check out this BBC video story on the event! It's done all in fun, so put on a smile and tune in! A tapir is featured as well as the keepers!

Tapirs are make an appearance on Dudley Zoo's "News" page, along with other nice animals and even some humans.

Thanks for these wonderful photos, Laura. I'll be seeing you on Facebook! (This should link to a charming picture of Laura with one of her tapirs, although you may have to join Facebook to see it, I'm not sure.)

One more thing - these pictures of tapirs in the snow can also be seen in our Picasa Web album. Have fun!

~ Sheryl

Tapir slide shows . . . the possibilities!

Tapirs: Lowland, Art and Craft

Click on image to go to web album

Oh, cool! I just found that I can put a slideshow link of any of my Picasa Web Albums into a blog post or Web page. Let's see how it works! Here's one of the many tapir albums. Click on it at any time and you will go to the web album.

Ernie the tapir on a Christmas Card

One of the special Christmas Cards I got this year was from Laura Robbins, tapir keeper at Dudley Zoo in England. The baby lowland tapir is Ernie, born in 2005, and was Laura's first baby tapir. I wanted to post the card for all to enjoy :) Sorry, I photographed it on a cluttered background, then I didn't want to crop off the edges. The newspaper clipping says something about gorillas.

Thanks, Laura! Thanks, Ernie! This was fun! And the ink is silver, too. I love it!!!

Malayan tapir at Artis Zoo, Amsterdam - March 1971

Malayan tapir photo

by L.C. Rookmaaker, March 1971

I scanned this from a faded old photo, so the colors have changed over the years - and that's actually the point. My interest in tapirs started in 1968, and during the early years, and then again starting in 1996, I've accumulated tapir archives and collectibles - images, printed materials, notes. Besides those I've collected myself and with Bob in the early years, people from around the world have been kind enough to send info and pictures for these many years. It takes a long time to put it all on a web site, and less time to put it in online albums and on blogs. But it does take time. One of my goals this year is to put these materials online where people can find and use them. You never know what bit of historical data will interest someone or help in their research.

Many of the photos, like this one, are faded. Other materials are in perfect condition. I wish I could say I still had every bit of tapir material I'd received since 1968, but a few things have been lost or destroyed. Years ago there was, unfortunately, a fire where some of our tapir things were kept from the early days. Some were destroyed, although many escaped the flames. These events are a good reminder that it's time to make use of digital storage and distribution. So . . . here we go. In moving the files to a more accommodating location for working on them, I found a number of pictures of Stanley K. Tapir that I thought were lost. This is going to be fun for me, and hopefully helpful and fun for tapir fans and researchers. I'll post on the blog and the Tapirs Google Group when I've uploaded a large chunk or something I think will be of special interest. L.C. Rookmaaker, who sent the tapir photo above, also sent copious notes throughout our early years of tapir study. These mainly related to tapirs in various collections. Especially interesting were some of the early records. I've been out of touch with L.C. for many years, but I noticed his work on rhino documentation has been posted online as recently as 2007. L.C., wherever you are, I have fond memories of our correspondence and your valuable help in the 1960s and 1970s!

The photo above can also be seen in my Web Album of Malayan Tapir photos. Each species also has an album devoted to art and craft and to natural history. The captions are not typed yet. That's another part of the project! Let's see how much I can get done this year.

~ Sheryl

If you're thinking of giving a gift, here's a thought (be sure and see the tapir photo, too!)

YOUR SHARE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Hi all,

I received e-mail from Wolfgang, who directed me to his blog. The thoughts are definitely worth passing along. He has also posted a wonderful photo of a very relaxed Baird's tapir in the wild at Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica. I'm sure you'll want to follow the link!

http://www.yoursharemakesadifference.com/greentips/ysmad_php_xmas_gifts.html

It's valid any time, not just for Christmas. And the rest of the blog has interesting ideas for these times when global conservation is so important!

Thanks!

Sheryl