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Conservation
TERRIFIC TAPIRS
By Jennie McNary, Curator of Mammals
Of the four surviving species of tapirs (Central American, lowland, mountain, and Malayan), the mountain tapir is probably the least known. It was listed as endangered in 1994. Once found throughout the temperate northern Andes from northern Peru to the eastern and central Andes of northern South America, the mountain tapirs’ range has been reduced to isolated pockets of the paramo habitat and cloud forests of the high Andes. Habitat destruction and overhunting are the two main threats to this species.
The Los Angeles Zoo imported its first mountain tapir, a male, in 1967. That animal along with a female acquired in 1969 are the basis for the entire captive population that exists outside of South America, which today totals ten animals, all belonging to the Los Angeles Zoo.
The Los Angeles Zoo’s long-term commitment to the husbandry, management, and survival of this rare and endangered species has been the incentive behind the development of an action plan that supports the critical need for conservation efforts to accomplish several goals. First, to investigate the current status of this species in its natural habitat. Second, to address the need to introduce new genetic material into the captive population in order to sustain long-term viability. The action plan also encompasses physiological studies as well as genetic evaluation.
The Los Angeles Zoo established the Mountain Tapir Conservation Fund in 2000 and to date has invested close to $40,000 and many hours of work toward the conservation of the species. In February 2003, the Los Angeles Zoo signed an agreement with the Cali Zoo in Colombia, South America to work jointly on mountain tapir conservation. This effort would provide better scientific knowledge of mountain tapir behavior, physiology, and habitat, which would lead to refinements in management of the species and hopefully to the increase of wild and populations.
While supporting research and conservation efforts, the Zoo continues to manage the North American population. Currently the Los Angeles Zoo and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs hold the only successfully reproducing pairs. In order to establish the potential for additional captive births, the Zoo recently sent a male to Mountain View Conservation Center in British Columbia, Canada, to pair with a Los Angeles Zoo female on loan there. An additional pair was recently established at the San Francisco Zoo.
Future plans include the expansion of the captive breeding program by pairing a mountain tapir from the North American captive population with a wild-born individual at the Cali Zoo. The successful reproduction of this pair would result in increased genetic diversity for the captive population. It is hoped that offspring would eventually be exchanged with individuals from the North American captive population, as well as be used to set up pairs at other zoological institutions in Colombia, Ecuador, or Peru. The educational value of establishing mountain tapirs at zoological institutions in their countries of origin could have a tremendous impact on conservation efforts for this species.
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