Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communication
Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren
| Ulan, with his calf’s Sempurna, in 2020. |
At the end of the month, Woodland Park Zoo will say goodbye to its last remaining Malaysian tapir, Ulan. The 12-year-old woman goes to Fresno Chaffee Zoo, an AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) accredited zoo in Fresno, California. The last day showing Ulan some love will be August 27 in the trail of Vines Habitat.
Tapirs are among the most primitive large mammals in the world and change a bit in appearance for millions of years. These prehistoric -looking animals are long and resemble the weight of a light horse. They have a short, prehensile nose that they use to pick leaves and fruit. Tapirs are excellent swimmers and use their snut as snorkels! Because they have a strange number of toes (four toes on every front foot, three on each back foot), their closest relatives are horses and rhinos.
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| Ulan and her daughter, Sempurna, sit side by side in 2020. |
Ulan arrived at the Woodland Park Zoo from Zoo Tampa in 2013. She became Zoo’s Sole Tapir after her 4-year-old daughter, Sempurna, moved to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo and her companion, Bintang-Sempurna’s father-gone last year with age-related decline.
The Malaysian Tapir-Art Supply Plan made the recommendation to move Ulan to Fresno Chaffee Zoo, where she will live in her kingdoms of Asia mixed species with their male tapir, Willium, and finally a few babirusa in a beautiful river phabitat.
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| Beautiful Ulan! |
“For a decade, Ulan has inspired fascination among our visitors, partly because of their interesting strange look. As a smart and accessible animal, Ulan participated in her own pre-birth care, including ultrasound during her pregnancy.
As Ulan moves, Woodland Park Zoo’s tapir show will be closed for months while upgrades are made to improve welfare, increase the exhibition of sustainability and improve the visitor experience. “Since the Tapiring exhibition opened almost three decades ago, breeding for these animals has changed, and changes in the tapirrud position are needed to ensure that it develops and matches the current advanced care of the species,” Sullivan said.
Upgrades will include removal of the existing concrete floor in the tapel stable and the creation of a concrete pool with wood chips such as substrate to allow softer floors as you go and better weight distribution, classification and drainage improvements, substrate improvements to the exterior habitat, fence and further shot. Recently designed the Zoo’s Tapir Keepers and Exhibit team a new training panel that will allow different access gates to safely allow for x -rays, ultrasound, blood features, laser/massage therapy and other interactions for health and households. A moving panel that can be swung closed to give access to the rear of tapirs also was incorporated into the design.
We bring a few young tapirs next spring when the upgraded exhibition reopens!
About Malaysian Tapirs
Malayan tapirs are threatened, with fewer than 2,500 left in the wild; They vary in Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Myanmar. Woodland Park Zoo collaborates with conservation projects in Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, where tapirs are found. One of the biggest threats to tapirs is the loss of habitats. By protecting land for tigers, orangutututans and hornbills, the zoo also protects soil for tapirs.
At home, you must protect tapirs, native wildlife and the forests they live in by taking informed purchase decisions such as buying products with certified sustainable palm oil and choosing the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper and wood products.