Two-year-old male Brazilian Tapir, Hinti, arrived from Magdeburg Zoo in Germany earlier this month, made possible by a generous donation.
Team Leader of Veterinary Nursing, Bec Probert, said the trunk-tastic tapir is now undertaking a mandatory quarantine period in the Animal Health Centre.
“Hinti had a huge journey to get to Adelaide Zoo, driving from Neunkirchen, where he completed pre-arrival quarantine, to Amsterdam, then transiting through Singapore before touching down in Adelaide,” she said.
“Understandably, he was very tired when he arrived, so our veterinary team have been giving him lots of love and care.
“We gave him a full body check and have been offering him lots of browse and vegetables, monitoring him to make sure he’s happy and comfortable.
“He’s also started to find his voice, whistling to staff to greet them.”
Team Supervisor of Ungulates and Carnivores, Elise Maurer, said it took a few days for Hinti to settle in after his 15,000km journey.
“Hinti is doing really well and has been very affectionate with keepers and the Animal Health Centre staff,” she said.
“He certainly likes his food and has been devouring his browse, pellets, lucerne, and vegetables. He especially likes beetroot!”
Once Hinti has completed quarantine, he will join female tapir, Chiquita, in the habitat opposite Giraffe.
“We’re looking forward to Chiquita and Hinti meeting, we hope this will be really beneficial for both tapirs,” Elise said.
“Hinti came from a larger group, so he will be looking for companionship and Chiquita has missed having her mum, Talara, around since her passing.
“Introducing the pair will hopefully support both tapirs’ emotional wellbeing, providing them with a friend as well as encouraging natural behaviours and interactions.”
Brazilian Tapirs, also known as Lowland Tapir, are one of four species of tapir and are most closely related to the horse and rhinoceros.
Their flexible trunk-like noses, or proboscis, help them eat leaves off low bushes and trees and they can even use it like a snorkel while swimming.
Brazilian Tapirs are primarily solitary animals found in lowland rainforests across much of South America, east of the Andes Mountains. They generally spend the day hiding in thick cover, and only emerge at night to feed on leaves, tree bark, reeds and fruit.
Despite weighing up to a hefty 250kg, they are terrific swimmers and spend much of their time wallowing in water to clear skin parasites and avoid predators like jaguars.
Brazilian Tapirs are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and are under threat from deforestation, hunting, and competition with domestic livestock.
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