Editor note: Please contact KING TV for pool footage of the birth and exam provided by the zoo. To protect the well being of the newborn, media access is not permitted at this time.

Seattle — As a group of Woodland Park Zoo visitors watched in awe, an endangered Malayan tapir delivered a male calf yesterday at 5:05 p.m. (PST) outdoors on public view. Zookeepers were fortunate to capture the rare birth on video. The 29-pound, unnamed calf marks the second successful birth for the 8-year-old parents. Average birth weight is 22 pounds. The calf will remain off exhibit in a heated barn for an extended period of time due to temperature needs. Thanks to a “tapir cam,” zoo-goers may view him on a closed-circuit monitor at the tapir shelter in the Trail of Vines exhibit.

The gestation period for tapirs is approximately 13 months. A newborn tapir looks much like a watermelon on four legs æ a reddish-brown coat dappled with white and cream-colored spots and stripes. The unique coat pattern helps provide excellent camouflage in bamboo or reed jungles. The striped pattern begins fading after a few months and by 5 to 8 months old, adult coloration appears.

Woodland Park Zoo’s last Malayan tapir birth occurred in spring 2000. “The birth of the tapir is significant because his genetic line is underrepresented in the North American zoo population,” says Bret Sellers, the zoo’s collection manager of mammals. Sellers noted that Malayan tapir births are infrequent with just three of the species born in North American zoos in the last six months. Woodland Park’s birth brings the total number of Malayan tapirs to 56 in North American zoos; an estimated 900 to 3,000 remain in the wild.

A neonatal exam this afternoon indicated a clean bill of health for the calf. According to Dr. Darin Collins, zoo associate veterinarian, all vital stats appear to be normal. “Tests taken today indicate the calf is nursing, which is a real critical assessment at this time,” explained Collins. “We’re pleased with his nursing bouts so far, a very good sign that he and mother are bonding as they should be.” The zoo will keep the tapir calf under close observation to ensure continued nursing success.

Tapirs are among the most primitive large mammals in the world, changing little in appearance in the past 15 million years. At first glance this prehistoric-looking animal looks like a massive pig with a long snout. However, its closest relatives are the horse and rhinoceros. The average weight for adult Malayan tapirs is 750 pounds, although they can weigh up to 900 pounds. The front half of an adult’s body and its hind legs are black and the rear half above the legs is white.

The Malayan tapir is the only Asian species among the four tapir species. Endangered, it is native to Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, Myanmar, southern Thailand and possibly Laos. Woodland Park Zoo staff currently works with a team of field scientists in Brazil to track wild lowland tapirs and monitor how they move through their increasingly fragmented habitat. This project is one of more than three dozen conservation projects that Woodland Park Zoo supports all over the globe.

The Malayan Tapir Species Survival Plan (SSP) is among 35 SSPs that Woodland Park Zoo participates in, including the western lowland gorilla, Aruba Island rattlesnake, red-crowned crane and Sumatran tiger. Under the auspices of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), the cooperative breeding programs work to ensure genetic diversity and demographic stability in North American zoos and aquariums. Additionally, SSPs involve a variety of other collaborative conservation activities such as research, public education, reintroduction to the wild and field projects. AZA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation, with more than 210 zoos and aquariums as members.

For periodic updates, video and images of the tapir calf, see the Species Spotlight section of the zoo’s Web site at www.zoo.org where more information about the zoo’s Malayan tapirs and its conservation efforts also is provided. Zoo fall hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. For general zoo information, log on the zoo’s Web site or call 206.684.4800.