A Tapir Christmas Card

This just in from Mark and Carol Reid in Canada. Cute Christmas tapirs in the snow. The note accompanying the picture says,

Hi Sheryl;

Just wanted to send you our on-line Christmas greetings with the wish that you and yours have a great holiday. Carol and I just got back from a walk and spotted a couple of our indigenous Canadian tapirs playing in the backyard. They asked us to say hello and ask if you wanted any snow for your Christmas ... we have plenty to spare!

All the Best,

Mark and Carol

 

 

Um, OK, I'm not sure I believe all that, but it's always great to hear from you guys!

 
 

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New Mountain Tapir Figurine

Sergio Sandoval made this adorable and accurate model of a mountain tapir recently. You can read more about it on Sergio's blog. Hopefully, before long this tapir will be coming to the U.S. to visit us in our online animal store, where sales will help benefit research and conservation of endangered tapirs.

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Ronnie Tapir and the Capybara

Dudley Zoo, Dudley, West Midlands, England ~

February 16, 2010

Ronnie (a young lowland tapir) notices something . . .

. . . which happens to be a capybara nibbling on tree bark.

. . . and the capybara notices Ronnie.

Tapirs are curious . . . so let's check it out.

Hmmm. Interesting.

Even more interesting. I wonder what the capybara was eating. I have no idea if baby tapirs learn in the same way as baby bears, but I watched a movie in which it was shown that baby bears learned which foods were edible by smelling mom's breath while she was eating. I wonder if tapirs do the same thing, or if Robbie was just responding to an intersting odor?

It seems quite fascinating to the baby tapir . . .

. . . though less so to the capybara!

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Meena and Baby at Dudley Zoo

Dudley Zoo, Dudley, West Midlands, England ~
 February 16, 2010
Lowland tapirs Meena (the mom) and baby Ronnie

When we were in England last February, it was impossible not to stop in at Dudley Zoo in the West Midlands. I've posted pictures of the incredibly picturesque Dudley Castle, around which the zoo is built, but I have not begun to post my zoo and tapir pictures until today. We had an amazing visit, not only because there was a baby tapir, but thanks to zoo owners, staff, and especially tapir keeper Laura Robbins (whose hand you see here coaxing the tapirs out of their stall), this was one of the pleasantest zoo visits I've had in my many years of visiting zoos. The weather was perfect, the people delightful, and the tapirs, of course, too adorable for words. I took many photos and will be posting them here - hopefully several per week. I'll mix it up a little, but the main theme for the moment will be the tapirs of Dudley Zoo.

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A Tapir that Doesn't Like Water?

I've borrowed this photo from Anthony Long and World Tapir Day on Facebook. To see more of the series and see the interesting (and funny) story, check out World Tapir Day on Facebook. Because it's impossible to make a link directly to the date it was posted, you may have to scroll down the feed to September 23, 2010.

Or . . . here is a link directly to the album.

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Beautiful Mountain Tapir Photo by Diego Lizcano

Photo copyright Diego J. Lizcano

The mountain tapir was was featured as the daily photo for August 18, 2010 on this post on the Bush Warriors blog. Their blog's subtitle, "Stop Poaching and Bushmeat," is one of their important messages. The Bush Warriors' aim is to raise awareness of the "war against some of the most endangered species on our planet." As they noted, the mountain tapir along with Diego's photo had been featured as the IUCN Species of the Day. Diego J. Lizcano, a long-time tapir conservationist and researcher, and is a member of the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group. Check out the Bush Warriors blog for some truly exceptional photos of animals in the wild.

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Lion Country Lowland Tapir (with Friends)

Photo by Sheryl Todd

January 13, 2008

This lowland tapir at Lion Country Safari near Miami, Florida, is happy hanging out with several species of larger birds. Tapirs not only tolerate, but usually seem to enjoy the company of other animals, find them entertaining, and have been known to miss them when separated.

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Nose to the Ground

It is always fun to see animals depicted on postage stamps. In this case, a lowland (Brazilian) tapir appears to be nibbling its way across the former British Hondurus, modern day Belize. Unfortunately the stamp designer has chosen the wrong species and placed this South American "mountain cow" in the domain of the Baird's tapir. We are consoled that at least someone has bothered to memoralize a tapir at all. Tapir and Friends Animal Store has an outstanding selection of tapir items. Plastic tapirs and stuffed tapirs are usually Malayan or Asian tapir replicas, but we have knitted tapirs representing each species and unique t-shirt designs as well.

by Lee

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TPF Awards $1,000.00 Grant to Emilio Constantino's Conservation Project in the Colombian Orinoco

Photo copyright Emilio Constantino

The Tapir Preservation Fund (TPF) is pleased to announce the winning project for our July-August 2010 call for proposals. The project, "Saving the Orinoco Tapirs in Eastern Colombia," is part of a larger initiative, "Saving Wildlife in the Colombian Orinoco," targeted to protect habitat and numerous threatened wildlife species in the region designated by the project through education, assessment, and the management of private reserves. TPF's "Heidi Frohring Memorial Fund" award of $1,000.00 will help Emilio work toward these goals.

Please read more about this award and the project on the new blog TPF is helping to maintain as part of our contribution to Emilio's work in the Orinoco of Colombia's eastern plains.

Our special thanks to the W.O. and G.L. Frohring Foundation for making this award possible.

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Skull of Baird's Tapir

This is actually a cast, and not the real skull of Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii). I took the photo at the Museum of Natural History in San Diego. I thought the exhibits there were excellent, and I wrote quite a bit about the museum experience on today's Animal Art Along the Way blog post.

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Watch Your Manners!

Last Sunday, the Tapir Preservation Fund took a field trip to the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington, to observe the resident pair of Malayan or Asian tapirs. It was so much fun to listen to the many visitors incorrectly identify our burly friends as large pigs. Then again in this picture the female, with her tongue hanging out, is "hamming it up" or just acting like a ... you know what!. Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a large variety of Asian tapir items, especially plastic tapirs, knitted tapirs, and stuffed tapirs. Of course tapirs are not remotely related to pigs, but are more closely associated with rhinos and horses.

Posted by Lee

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Counting Noses!

Near, where the Tapajos River pours into the Amazon in Central Brazil, there is the tourist town of Alter do Chao that has reputely the most beautiful beach in all of Brazil. In a special shop which sells exclusively native craft, I found this wooden lowland tapir replica which I felt would be treasured by Sheryl, the owner of Tapir and Friends Animal Store. There were no small wooden tapir replicas to send back for Tapir and Friends Animal Store, but Sheryl has just received a shipment of beautifully-detailed plastic tapir replicas and sells a variety of other tapir products. It is difficult to find tapir items to sell other than the Asian tapir replicas , but the store has some lovely t-shirts and knitted tapirs which depict the South American and Central American species.

written by Lee

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The Tapir Fund Found a New Plastic Tapir For Your Collection

Plastic Asian (Malayan) Tapir

Our plastic museum-quality version of the Asian or Malayan tapir has the markings of a real tapir. The "saddle" which extends from its shoulder to its rump, the white rimmed ears, and the remaining black hair covering the legs, chest, and head mimic the pattern designed for camouflage. The plastic Asian tapir measures 4 1/4 inches in length, and 2 1/2 inches high. The realistic "floppy" snout, four-toed front and three-toed back feet (with a little hoof at the end of each toe) help make this the most realistic toy tapir we've ever seen. Other features include the white rims around each small hoof and the strongly chiseled indentation of the face muscles. Even the nostrils appear to flatten as they do in a real tapir. It even has short markings in the plastic indicating its fur coat. This delightful model will complete your diorama or please any tapir collector or collector of animal figurines. You may already be familiar with the quality produced by Safari, Ltd. This sturdy piece will also withstand handling and playtime. See our entire collection of tapirs.

About Asian (Malayan) Tapirs

Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus) grow to between 6 and 8 feet in length, stand 3 to 3.5 feet tall, and typically weigh between 550 and 700 pounds. Like the other types of tapir, they have small stubby tails and long, flexible proboscises. They have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot. The Malayan Tapir has rather poor eyesight but excellent hearing and sense of smell. The easily identifiable markings (the saddle, white rimmed ears, black legs, chest, and head) make it more difficult to recognize it as a tapir, and other animals may mistake it for a large rock rather than a form of prey when it is lying down to sleep. Malayan Tapirs communicate with high-pitched squeaks and whistles. They usually prefer to live near water and often bathe and swim, and they are also able to climb steep slopes. Malayan Tapirs can live up to 30 years, both in the wild and in captivity. Malayan tapirs live in Southest Asia, where they have become extinct in some of their range; small populations still survive in Myanmar, Thailand, and Sumatra (Indonesia). In the past, scientists believed that tapirs live solitary lives, but in recent years, it has become clear that they can be found in small family groups. They do not live in herds, and are hard to located in the forest. Under ideal conditions, a tapir gives birth about every 18 months to two years, bearing only one calf at a time. The slow "recruitment rate" is one of the several reasons they are on their way to extinction. Read more about Malayan tapirs here.

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Leather Tapir Keyring from Italy

What should show up in the mail one day but this beautiful leather tapir keyring that Mark and Carol Reid found while visiting Italy. The text on the bottom says "Cuoeria Fiorentina." The link goes to their site, but the site looks pretty new, and I don't see the tapir (yet, anyway).

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Call for Proposals ~ July-August 2010

Tapir Preservation Fund (TPF)

Call for Proposals, July-August 2010
$1,000.00 will be awarded in September 2010

We want to thank the family of the late Heidi Frohring for their generous donation of $1,000.00 from the W.O. and G.L. Frohring Foundation to the Tapir Preservation Fund (TPF). This donation has allowed TPF's perpetual Heidi Frohring Memorial Fund to enact the current call for proposals, which will result in the award of $1,000.00 to a tapir conservation project selected by TPF in September. We expect the successful outcome of this call for proposals to become a model for future fundraising and grants by TPF, and we look forward to receiving your proposals.

PARTICULARS

. Proposals will be accepted by e-mail to tapir@tapirback.com through July and August 2010, and must be submitted in English. The final date for submission is August 31. You may also submit any questions to this e-mail address.

. A $1,000.00 award will be granted to one selected project in September 2010.

. TPF will be allowed to use your photos and agreed-upon materials for promotion of your work and of TPF. You retain copyright to all of your materials and photos. TPF will help support your project in various ways via the Internet. Reciprocal links will be exchanged if you have a web site, blog or Facebook Page about your work.

. The Tapir Preservation Fund and the Heidi Frohring Memorial Fund will be acknowledged in any publications and materials resulting from this grant.

. A progress report with photos will be submitted within a "reasonable" period after receiving the award (report date to be determined depending on the project). The sooner TPF receives photos and progress reports, the sooner we can help promote your project.

. A final report with photos will be submitted within a "reasonable" time of completing the project (report date to be determined depending on the project).

REQUIREMENTS

1. Must be an active tapir/habitat conservation project that may have a large education component.

2. Must be

a) Ongoing and currently running, or

b) Funding needs can be completed with $1,000.00 from this grant, or
c) Your entire project can be completed with $1,000.00 from this grant, or

d) $1,000.00 from this grant will allow you to implement a segment of the project that will produce tangible results.

3. Please mention any need for permits when submitting the proposal, and note whether these permits have already been secured.

PRIORITY WILL BE GIVEN TO PROJECTS WHICH FIT THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA

1. Focus on tapirs or tapir habitat with priority given to projects encompassing conservation of additional animal and plant species and their mutual habitat

2. Sustainability

3. Ability to replicate project or results

4. Supports indigenous and/or local people in conservation efforts

5. Demonstration of coordination with other organizations and projects to reduce duplication of efforts.

We look forward to receiving your proposals and having the opportunity to help make your conservation ideas and goals a reality. Submissions may be made by e-mail.

Sheryl Todd

President

Tapir Preservation Fund

PO Box 118

Astoria, Oregon 97103 USA

tapir@tapirback.com

(503) 338-8646

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Cute Tapir, Wrong Costume

Artwork © Diana Lapshina

I just received this cute drawing from Russian tapir fan Valeri Volodin.

He wrote, "Hi Sheryl, I've just found a funny tapir picture from a Russian childrens' book about Latin America. But I think it's a Malayan tapir. Doesn't look like an American. Enjoy! Best regards, Valeri"

Tapirs appear in books so rarely (although the frequency is improving) that it's always good to see them. Valeri is right, the white saddle belongs to the Malayan tapir (from Asia), although the body coloring of that species is black, not pale brown.

Here is a link to the book, which will open as a PDF file. See also the tapir on page 2. . . .

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Corinna's Cat Toys Help Raise Funds for Tapir Conservation

This Malayan tapir is one of Corinna Bechko's famous cat toys. She makes the most imaginative things for cats to play with! You can find this tapir and many astonishing pieces of functional art for cats (a "cat's guide to fossils"? Amazing!) and for humans (jewelry, boxes, etc., etc.) in Corinna's Etsy shop, The Frog Bag. You can also find The Frog Bag on Facebook and by going to The Frog Bag's blog.

Yesterday Corinna and The Frog Bag donated $50.00 to the Tapir Preservation Fund. This donation came from sales in the Etsy shop, and brought The Frog Bag's donations to a total of $550.00!

Corinna has had a long-standing interest in tapirs and has been a supporter of tapir conservation long before The Frog Bag came into existence. She also contributes to tapir conservation by letting us sell her wonderful animal jewelry in Tapir and Friends Animal Store online. Here you can find tapirs and other critters, too.

Thanks, Corinna! And thanks to those who purchase and enjoy your wonderful creations!

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Contribution Helps Tapirs in Belize

Belize Zoo ~ June 1, 2010

Sharon Matola with baby Baird's tapir

Today we are excited to be sending a donation of $500.00 from David F. to The Belize Zoo. When Sharon learned about the donation, she sent us this photo of herself with one of the zoo's most recent residents, an adorable baby Baird's tapir. The zoo accepts only orphaned or damaged animals, and although this tapir has lost his biological mother, he now has a loving home as an ambassador for wildlife in the Belize Zoo. He may just become the hero of a children's story in the coming months. It would not be the first time Sharon has featured tapirs and the other wild animals of Belize in stories that have made a huge and continuing impact on the way Belizeans and visitors to Belize understand and appreciate the ecology of this small, Central American country.

David's donation will help Sharon pay for a recent project - the completion of a film about the important role that tapirs and other animals of the forests play, standing and healthy, in decreasing the negative impacts of climate change.

Thank you, David. Thank you, Sharon. We are happy to forward 100% of David's donation to help make this happen.

Donations for the important work of the Belize Zoo can be made through the Tapir Preservation Fund or through the Belize's Zoo's web site.

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Sleeping Tapirs

Singapore Zoo ~ March 23, 2008

Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus)

Photos by Annemarie Hasnain

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Tapir Tongue

Los Angeles Zoo ~ March 26, 2010

Mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque)

Photos by Annemarie Hasnain

In this unusual photo, the tapir's tongue is rippled like a washboard. I can't do that, can you? The next two photos are also of a mountain tapir at the L.A. Zoo, where this species has been kept since the late 1960s.

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Browsing

Singapore Zoo ~ June 21, 2009

Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus)

Photo by Annemarie Hasnain

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A Friendly Baird's Tapir at La Marina Wildlife Rescue Center

La Marina Wildlife Rescue Center, Costa Rica ~ June 21, 2009

Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii)

Photos by Annemarie Hasnain

Annemarie wrote: "I've attached photos of a tapir we met at La Marina Wildlife Rescue Center in Costa Rica. He/She saw us and came across his enclosure to hang out with us. He was so sweet and curious and just seemed to enjoy checking us out as much as we enjoyed checking him out. It was a very special part of the trip!"

Check out this link to the tapir page at the rescue center and enjoy the photos. Maybe you will be the next volunteer!

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A Shelf of Tapir Art

Astoria, Oregon ~ October 21, 2001

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Reflections in a Tapir's Eye

Seattle, Washington ~ May 5, 2008

Woodland Park Zoo

Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus)

I'm posting these photos today to take part in James's Weekend Reflections, but I've been meaning to post them for some time. It's not often that you get to see a tapir eye this closely. The glass-fronted enclosure allows you to see the tapirs very close much of the time. The white blobs on the right side of the second photo are unfocused reflections of a "T is for Tapir" t-shirt, white on black, although the tapir on the shirt is a different species (Baird's tapir) from the one in the photos above (Malayan tapir).

I also find it so strange and somehow both comforting and frightening to look at an animal's eye this closely. How can we think of harming, neglecting, killing, or eradicating an animal who looks out of something that reminds us so much of our own eyes? We are kindred. How can we think otherwise?

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Remembering Heidi

Heidi Frohring

April 6, 1967 - May 1, 2005

Memorial site / Memorial page

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Visit to Dudley Zoo

Click here for the article

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Bones of a Lowland Tapir's Foot

Copyright Editorial Kapellusz, S.A.

Buenos Aires, 1966

Click to image to enlarge

Lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris)

Left forefoot (left) and rear foot (right)

Thanks to a query about the bones of a tapir's feet, I found an old poster in my archives and photographed part of it. I'll put the rest of the poster online when I get a chance. Note that the feet of the four tapir species may show differences, as may the feet of individual animals.

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Three Photos from France to Help Raise Awareness for World Tapir Day, 2010

Photos by MJP

(Mr and Msse POTEAUX ~ e Mans, FRANCE)

CERZA Zoo Park in Hermival-les-Vaux, Calvados, Normandy

Three wonderful tapir photos arrived by e-mail today with the message that we could use them on the site to help publicize World Tapir Day, 2010.

Please enjoy the photos and follow the link to learn more about World Tapir Day and take part in the activities and fundraising! And, many thanks to you in Le Mans. . . .

The Poteaux family sponsors these lovely tapirs and visits them often.

Merci infiniment des belles photos!

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Jan 10, 2010: Snow Tapir!

By David Beilby

Originally posted on "Tapirs" Google group

January 10, 2010

David wrote:

Here in the UK we have had much more snow than we have most winters. My son Jonathan decided to fashion this creation which is sadly even more endangered than the real thing.

Hopefully this will brighten up your winter's day!

Best Regards,

David Beilby

---

Reply by Sheryl:

Hey, I even see a carrot! Thanks so much for posting this! We're having a cold winter, too, but no snow yet in Astoria, Oregon. Lots of rain, and no snow tapirs! In fact, this may be a first. I've seen a sandcastle tapir done by Sally Woodcock. It seems you English are advanced when it comes to these creations. . . .

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