Bandung Zoo calls for celebrating World Tapir Day, reveals secret to successful breeding of the trunk-nosed herbivore

World Tapir Day is celebrated worldwide on April 27, and this special moment is also celebrated by Bandung Zoo. Bandung is Indonesia’s capital city of West Java province.

 

Bogor, West Java (Indonesia Window) – April 27 is celebrated worldwide as World Tapir Day which is also commemorated by Bandung Zoo in Indonesia’s West Java province.

Bandung Zoo observed this special moment with educational activities, such as Keeper Talk which aims to increase public awareness of the importance of tapir conservation, one of the unique and important animals for the ecosystem.

Keeper Talk is a program usually carried out by zookeepers to educate visitors about the various animals in the zoo.

In Keeper Talk, tapir keepers tell visitors about their experiences caring for tapirs, unique things about tapirs, their habits, and the types of leaves eaten by the herbivores (plant-eating animals), whose natural habitat is in Sumatra, one of the five Indonesian main islands.

There are four types of tapirs in the world, three of which can be found in South America, and one type is spread across Southeast Asia, namely the Asian tapir or tapir tenuk (Tapirus indicus).

Bandung Zoo is known as a conservation institution that is successful in the tapir tenuk breeding program. Currently, the zoo has 10 tapir tenuks.

In the last five years, there have been three births of this Asian tapirs at Bandung Zoo from two different parents. The gestation period of tapir tenuk reaches 13-14 months with the number of babies in one birth being one.

Bandung Zoo’s success in developing this tapir population is a concrete proof of the team’s commitment and expertise in creating an optimal environment for the welfare and reproduction of these protected animals.

Bandung Zoo as an ex-situ conservation institution located in the middle of Bandung City is fortunate to have vegetation that has formed and is natural to support tapir breeding, so that tapirs at Bandung Zoo can breed well.

Tapirs play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the forest ecosystem. As natural seed dispersers, tapirs help regenerate forests by eating fruits and excreting their seeds in various locations through their feces.

The presence of tapirs directly contributes to biodiversity and overall environmental health. However, tapir breeding efforts in conservation institutions, such as Bandung Zoo, are not without challenges, as tapirs have a relatively slow reproduction rate.

“Females usually only give birth to one child every two years. This makes the population in captivity a slow process and requires patience, as well as careful management,” Dedi Trisasongko, a veterinarian at Bandung Zoo, said.

In addition, even though environmental conditions have been optimized, there is no guarantee that a tapir pair will successfully mate. Factors such as individual compatibility and hormonal conditions can affect the success of mating.

Bandung Zoo continues to overcome these challenges through a well-managed breeding program, improving the quality of habitats in the zoo, and collaborating with various parties related to conservation.

Through the commemoration of World Tapir Day, Bandung Zoo hopes that the public would increasingly understand the importance of tapirs for the ecosystem and be encouraged to support efforts to preserve them.

“In the future, Bandung Zoo hopes to continue to improve the success of the tapir breeding program, expand education programs and public awareness of tapir conservation, and collaborate more closely with other conservation institutions and the government in efforts to preserve tapirs in their natural habitat,” Bandung Zoo’s public relations officer, Ully Rangkuti, said.

Reporting by Indonesia Window