Djaïa, our Lowland tapir

The tapir is a rather solitary and discreet animal. It is mainly active at night and rests during the day. To escape predators—mainly jaguars and humans—it takes refuge in the water, as it is an excellent swimmer.

The female tapir gives birth to one offspring per litter, and at most every two years. The young tapir is weaned around six months old: it then starts eating like an adult but still stays with its mother for about a year.

The tapir mainly relies on its sense of smell to find food because it has poor eyesight. It feeds once night has fallen. To communicate, it uses vocalizations and sounds. Vocalizations are high-pitched cries, and the sounds are clicking noises that vary between individuals. It also uses pheromones to mark its territory: either by urinating or by rubbing its facial glands on surfaces it wants to mark.

By nature, the tapir is discreet but can become aggressive to defend its territory or during the breeding season.

The tapir is mainly threatened by collisions with cars, habitat degradation, industrialization of the countries where it lives, and hunting. It is primarily hunted for its meat and hide.

My daily life at PAL:

You could call my birth a real surprise: I wasn’t expected at all because no mating was observed between my parents! One morning, a keeper arrived and discovered me—healthy and completely dry. I was actually spotted with spots at birth because I’m a nidicolous species. Indeed, I was unable to feed myself: my spots help me camouflage and avoid predators in the wild. I weighed 12.5 kg at birth and now weigh 205 kg.

At Le PAL, I live with my dad, Cyrano, who was born at La Barben Zoo on October 25, 1997.

Like my dad, I lie down easily but I also have the ability to get up quickly, which makes it tricky for the keepers when giving me care or trying to desensitize me.

I mainly eat vegetables (eggplant, Swiss chard, broccoli, butternut squash, celery stalk, celeriac, pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini, endive, green beans, turnip, leek, radish, black radish, rutabaga, and lettuce). I eat some of them cooked (green beans and parsnip). Fruits like rhubarb are reserved for their digestive balancing properties.

When summer comes, I return to the pond and enjoy myself thoroughly: several baths a day (which help me regulate my body temperature, just like in the wild). I also have free access to the outdoor enclosure at night, where I delight in fresh grass.