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Baird's Tapir Project Quarterly Update January...February...March 2004 |
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Prepared by Charles Foerster Primary investigator, Baird's Tapir Project Please send comments and/or questions to: |
conservation programs throughout Central and South America by
providing detailed, reliable data on the ecology of an undisturbed,
non-hunted population of Baird's tapirs.
"By understanding how an intact, healthy tapir population functions, we will be better
equipped to identify and correct irregularities in those populations
altered by human activities."
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QUICK LINKS
Tapirs Currently being Monitored |
Tapirs Currently Being Monitored
ZONE 1
- Playa: Adult female first captured January 1998
- Sol: Adult male first captured February 1998
- Balsa: 2-yr old daughter of Playa first captured April 2002
- Cabo: 13-month-old offspring of Playa
- Big Mama: Adult female first captured December 1994
- Thor: Adult male first captured April 2001
- Dedo:5-yr old offspring of Big Mama
- Prima: 2-yr old daughter of Big Mama first captured April 2002
- Nepal: 13-month old male of Big Mama
- Sirena: 3 month old female offspring of Big Mama
- Café: Adult male first captured January 1998.
- Leche: Adult female first captured January 1998.
- Crema: 14-month old offspring of Leche.
- Orion: 3-month old male offspring of Leche.
- Rodeo: Adult male first captured April 1997
- Rio: Adult male first captured January 1998
- Lefty: Adult male first captured July 1997
Note: Silbo (Mamasota's male offspring from 1997) is still hanging around the periphery of the study area. We pick up his signal about once a month as he ventures back close to his natal home range.
Reproduction
Reproduction to Date: 18 offspring; 9 male; 6 female; 3 unknown| Offspring | Sex | Birth date | Mother | | | Offspring | Sex | Birth date | Mother |
| Nome | M | 11/94 | Big Mama | | | Amapola | uk | 06/01 | Leche |
| Ceibo | M | 08/97 | Roberta | | | Prima | F | 07/01 | Playa |
| Silbo | M | 08/97 | Big Mama | | | Balsa | F | 07/01 | Playa |
| Condensada | F | 01/98 | Leche | | | Max | M | 10/01 | Maxine |
| Dedo | M | 12/98 | Big Mama | | | Crema | uk | 08/02 | Leche |
| Arena | F | 04/99 | Playa | | | Nepal | M | 10/02 | Big Mama |
| Evaporada | F | 09/99 | Leche | | | Cabo | M | 10/02 | Playa |
| Maxina | uk | 06/00 | Maxine | | | Orion | M | 09/03 | Leche |
| Pinto | M | 03/00 | Big Mama | | | Sirena | F | 11/03 | Big Mama |
SIRENA DOING WELL
 | The newest member of the Baird's Tapir Project, "Sirena" is getting bigger everyday. She has been seen more and more often traveling with "Big Mama", her mother, as she forages at night. As she grows, "Sirena's" spots and stripes are slowly starting to fade. Within the next 2 months she will be left with spots only on her ankles and forelegs. Although she is now feeding on leaves and fruit, she will continue to nurse until she is approximately 8 months old. |
DEDO RETURNS TO STUDY AREA
"Dedo" returned to his old stomping grounds last month after a 3-month absence. I found him feeding on figs during one of my regular rounds through the forest collecting telemetry data. Dedo is over 5 years old now and has been off exploring the surrounding forest for a place to establish his own territory. Judging from his scars, he encountered only occupied territories and decided to return to familiar territory. I don't expect him to stay for long though. Even males feel the ticking of their biological clocks and a few scrapes will not keep Dedofrom continuing his search for his place as an adult in the Corcovado tapir population.
One mystery was solved by Dedo's return. He was one of the tapirs I was looking for during my fly-over in January. During that flight I did not hear any signal from his collar and figured that either (1) he had traveled farther away from the study area than I flew, or (2) his collar had stopped working. When I came across him that first night I did not immediately recognize him, so I scrolled through all of the frequencies on my telemetry receiver. To my surprise, none of the frequencies gave me that satisfying beep from an active radiocollar. Obviously, I do not carry my capture equipment with me every night; and that first night I was too far from camp to rush back and hope that he would still be in the same place when I got back. I had to hope that he would return again the next night to feed on figs. Luckily he did and I managed to immobilize him and exchange the "dead" radiocollar for a brand new one.
SUMMIT ZOO TAPIR EXHIBIT GRAND OPENING
 | The tapirs in the Summit Zoo, Panama City, Panama now have a new and bigger space in which to live. Phase One of the new exhibit was finished in January, and was inaugurated during the 2nd International Tapir Symposium in January 2004. The exhibit, which encloses over half an acre of land, includes a 45,000 gallon pool. In addition, 4 out of 6 holding pens were completed since work began in July of 2003. This was a massive project, completed with the cooperation between the Municipality of Panama City and the Houston Zoo. |
| For the public, two viewing platforms were built, one overlooking the back half of the exhibit and the second in a horseshoe shape around the deep end of the pool. Phase Two of the project is already underway. Another half-acre enclosure, with its own pool and viewing decks, is already being constructed on the opposite side of a small stream from the first exhibit. Eventually, a suspension bridge will join the two pool viewing platforms, providing the visitors with a continuous boardwalk to enjoy the two exhibits. The Summit Zoo has seven tapirs in their charge at the moment. The entire exhibit is designed to allow the keepers to rotate all of the animals through the two large exhibits. |
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JUVENILES ON THE MOVE - FLYOVER REPORT
I was finally able to get up in a plane during the last week in January to search for the juvenile tapirs that had been missing. Sometime in November and December of 2003 both Pinto and Dedo left the study area. Then, in late December and January 2004, Balsa and Sandalo decide to go off exploring areas outside their maternal home ranges. Luckily, I didn't have to go far to find most of them. Balsa and Sandalo were both only 6 km north along the beach near the mouth of the Corcovado River. Dedo´s story is described above. Balsa ended up returning to the study area in mid-January and is still hanging around. This was probably her first exploration of the surrounding forest, in preparation for a permanent move a year or so from now. Sandalo has remained out of the study area and is not expected to return. He is now approximately 5 1-2 years old and is ready to establish his own territory as an adult. It will be interesting to keep an eye on him and see if he remains in the Corcovado River area or moves further away from Sirena.Pinto is the only mystery left to solve. I heard his signal from the plane when I was directly above a small village named Progresso. I have made several phone calls to people I know in the area asking for any reports of sightings of collared tapir. So far, nothing. I made another flyover in February and heard nothing from his transmitter. In March I printed out some flyers to be put up in the communities asking for any information people may have. I will make another flight in April and hopefully Pinto will turn up safe and sound.
New Floor and Tent for Charlie
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Life in Sirena became a little more safe and comfortable last month when the floorboards of my "house" were replaced. 20 years of insects and humidity had taken its toll on the original flooring, making it a virtual minefield of broken and rotten boards. The lumber was taken from two large trees that had fallen near the Sirena station. Also making my life much more comfortable was the donation of a new tent from one of the Adopt-a-Tapir members. My old tent (complete with duct-tape patches), which had served me well for eight years, was sacrificed to the rainforest gods in the same bonfire we had to burn the rotten boards from the floor. |