Lowland tapir

Tapir like to be near the water of the Amazon rainforest and river basin.

That’s a huge area stretching from Venezuela in the north all the way down to Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay in the south. They move quickly on land, even over rugged, mountainous terrain and are equally at home in the water.

The Lowland tapir (sometimes called the Brazilian tapir or South American tapir), is one of four species in the tapir family, along with the mountain tapir, the Malayan tapir, and Baird’s Tapir.

The thing that stands out most about the tapir is his funny looking nose. It’s actually prehensile or capable of holding onto things, which means they can use it like a small version of an elephant’s trunk.

Conservation

Our Lowland tapir are currently part of a European Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP).  They are classified as vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List. Because they live in rainforests, the destruction of their home is the biggest threat to their survival.