Earlier this year, the Chester Zoo has welcomed an extremely rare Malayan tapir, a male born from mother Margery and father Betong. Despite he’s the second tapir calf of its kind born in the zoo, he’s really special one. And needless to mention, an extremely adorable one.
The Malayan tapir (Acrocodia indica) is an endangered species related to both the rhinoceros and the horses. With its population halved in the last decades, because of habitat loss and hunting, the species was included on the Red List by he International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s. There are less than 2,500 individuals left in the wild who’re roaming across Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra and Myanmar.
Rony who was named after a public vote it’s weighing around 11,2 pounds and he was born after 391 days of pregnancy. Its uniqueness is given by its black and white color. The news of its born have been hailed by conservationists all over the world.
“It’s wonderful to hear the pitter-patter of tiny, spotty Malayan tapir feet again for only the second time ever in the zoo’s long history. Mum Margery is ever so good with the baby. She’s very attentive but also gives him chance to explore and find his feet,” Sarah Roffe, the zoo’s team manager told in a statement.
“The precious calf is another big boost for the international breeding programme, which is working to ensure the already endangered species do not become extinct. In the wild, the Malayan tapir population has crashed in recent times, largely due to the wide-spread conversion of their forest habitat to palm oil plantations. If people want to help this wonderful species then we’d urge them to demand that the palm oil contained in the products they use is from sustainable sources,” she added.
Watch the video bellow and prepare to be blown away by Rony’s cuteness!