 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Updates |
| Arranged Marriage At Copenhagen Zoo |
On a Tuesday morning recently, a plane landed at Copenhagen Airport carrying a very unusual passenger and was welcomed by a delegation from Copenhagen Zoo. Immediately after landing, the passenger was transported in a closed car to the Zoo, where the animal keepers and the passenger’s future mate were waiting. The unusual passenger is a Malayan Tapir born at Singapore Zoo and its arrival was a result of international collaboration on the conservation of this rare animal species. The Malayan Tapir from the Singapore Zoo. - Picture courtesy of Singapore Zoo. |
|
In 2004 Copenhagen Zoo unfortunately lost its breeding female tapir. The Zoo’s male tapir was in the prime of his life and his chances of siring offspring decrease each year. Unfortunately, there were no surplus female tapir in Europe. The Malayan tapir is of great importance to the Copenhagen Zoo. The Zoo has always had good breeding results and has been able to supply other zoos with tapirs. Finding a new breeding female was therefore not only important to the Zoo, but also to the European population of Malayan tapirs in captivity. After a long search Singapore Zoo kindly offered to send a young female as a breeding loan to Copenhagen. However, the high cost of transporting the tapir to Copenhagen was a problem. Fortunately, SIA Cargo agreed to transport the tapir and absorb the major part of the cost as a show of support for the conservation of this rare species. It was a most welcomed gift. SIA Cargo spared no efforts to ensure the female tapir a safe journey. The tapir was in fact loaded on an ordinary passenger flight to reduce the hours of travelling. In addition to carrying the tapir, one of the Zoo’s veterinarians, Mads Frost Bertelsen was also given a seat on the plane so that he could follow the tapir on its way across the world.
|