Spotted, Striped Endangered Tapir Calf Born in the UK

A new spotted and striped Malayan tapir calf is wobbling around in Cheshire, England. Born at the Chester Zoo, the baby has been called important for the conservation of the endangered species.

Chester Zoo

A new spotted and striped Malayan tapir calf is wobbling around in Cheshire, England. Born at the Chester Zoo, the baby has been called important for the conservation of the endangered species.

Named Nessa, the female calf was born to parents Margery and Betong on Nov. 30. Following a 13-month-long pregnancy, Margery gave birth to the baby, weighing just about 20 pounds (9 kilograms).1

The largest of all four tapir species, an adult Malayan tapir can weigh as much as 720 pounds (350 kilograms) and measure 6 feet (1.8 meters) long.2

“We’re over the moon that Margery has delivered a healthy female calf— a birth that marks an important moment in our efforts to prevent the extinction of this wonderfully charismatic but sadly endangered species,” said Mike Jordan, director of animal and plants at the zoo.

“The Malayan tapir is a species that’s under enormous pressure—its numbers have crashed over the course of the past four decades to frighteningly low levels, with hunting and habitat destruction being the main threats to its survival.”

Also known as an Asian tapir, Asiatic tapir, and Indian tapir, this species is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.3

These tapirs are found only in Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. There are just 2,500 Malayan tapirs estimated to be around today. They face threats primarily from habitat destruction and deforestation, as well as illegal hunting.3
"Malay Tapir." IUCN Red List.


The IUCN estimates that about half the world’s population of this species was lost over the past four decades.