Tapir Calf Still Needs Mom
Posted at 2:17 pm July 31, 2006 by Bridget MulhollandChukai, our 8-month-old Malayan tapir, is growing up! At 430 pounds (195 kilograms), he is now more than half the size of his mom, Rose, who tips the scales at 805 pounds (365 kilograms). Even though he is such a big boy, he still relies heavily on his mom for nurturing and nourishment. Yes, Chukai still nurses for long periods of time every morning while they are off exhibit in their bedrooms! Although weaning usually occurs between 6 and 8 months of age, some tapir calves will continue to nurse until they are over a year old. Researchers are not entirely sure how long young tapirs will remain with their mothers in the wild, but it is believed that they may stay together for over two years.
During the past two months, we were separating Rose and Chukai daily for up to two hours. We were attempting to get Chukai used to being alone. Rose was having some dental problems, and she was scheduled to go up to the San Diego Zoo’s hospital for an evaluation. She would be gone for several hours having X rays taken, so we wanted to make sure that Chukai would be okay by himself for the day.
We started the separations for only five minutes at first. Chukai would immediately call for Rose, and she would answer back. Malayan tapirs communicate with very interesting squeaks and whistles. Their vocalizations can be fairly loud and can be heard throughout most of the Zoo’s Tiger River habitat. As the days passed, and the separation times grew longer, Chukai started to accept this morning routine. He still vocalized to his mom, but with much softer clicks instead of squeals. On the day of the examination, we kept Chukai off exhibit in the bedrooms while Rose went to the hospital. We gave him extra-special treats of bananas and honeydew melon and checked in on him often. He seemed worried, but he was very quiet and, thankfully, not frantic. When Rose returned (with a clean bill of health from the veterinarians!), Chukai was very excited and clicked and whistled and followed her around everywhere!
The keepers in Tiger River are so pleased that Rose’s dental problem is almost completely healed, and that Chukai can be with his mom again 24/7!
Bridget Mulholland is a senior mammal keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
Read Bridget’s previous blog about Chukai: Tapir Calf Update
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July 31st, 2006 at 2:47 pm
What a wonderful blog, Bridget. It’s so good to read about the concern you and your fellow keepers show for your charges, and the care with which you make changes in their routines. And it’s also good to be reminded of the excellent medical care available to them. I’m proud of Chukai for handling his separation so well, and even prouder of the wonderful work you all are doing!
July 31st, 2006 at 6:30 pm
Thanks for the update, Bridget. It’s wonderful our little guy is doing so well! Your story about him getting all excited at mommy’s return is very sweet…
What an adorable momma’s boy! I’m sure mom was pleased to see he was very well taken care of. Thanks for giving him the extra lovin’!
August 1st, 2006 at 3:57 am
How sweet and too cute! Thanks, Bridget. And thanks to all of you for taking such good care of Chukai and mama Rose. Any chance of getting a current picture of the pair?!?!
August 1st, 2006 at 7:31 am
When I visit SDZ I always visit the tapir family. Glad Rose is feeling better. How old is Rose? At what age will Chukai be full-grown? Thanks!
August 2nd, 2006 at 4:17 pm
I learned about this interesting animal for the first time when I visited the Lied Jungle at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, NE this spring. I never knew tapirs got so big, or that they had this black & white coloring, or that they were native to anywhere but South America. Are the Malayan tapirs endangered? We must preserve the amazing biodiversity of our unique planet. Thanks, Bridget, for keeping us informed about little(?) Chukai.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Hi. Could you tell me more (as a biologist with tapir interests!) about the high-pitched calls your tapirs make? About how far away (in feet or meters) can they be heard by humans? It’s interesting that mother and calf can communicate when out of sight this way; have you ever had adults do the same thing?
Thanks in advance for a reply!
Animal Care Staff responds: We currently (May 2008) have a 28-year-old female housed with a 2-1/2-year-old male and 2- year-old female. None of the three are related, and the male is starting to breed both females. These three animals do a lot of vocalizing in the morning, apparently directed at the keepers. They can easily be heard at 100 yards while in their bedrooms, and possibly more, depending on other ambient noise. I’m sure the noise carries even farther if they are outside, but the vocalizations they use outside with each other don’t usually go full volume. The most common vocalization we hear is the young female at high pitch when the male chases her. The older female tends to make a lower pitch complaint when the male gets rowdy. During the introductions, it was mostly the young female that was making noise; the older animals relying more on scent and submissive posturing by various tapirs.