Dublin Zoo celebrates calf birth

DUBLIN Zoo is celebrating the recent birth of a male Brazilian Tapir calf, born to mum Rio and dad Marmaduke.

The as yet unnamed calf is the pair’s second offspring with Rio having given birth to the new arrival’s older brother MJ (Marmaduke Junior) in June 2012.

Zoo team leader Eddie O’Brien said staff were delighted with the birth of the new calf.

“He is already getting on really well with MJ who is very protective of him,

? he added.

“The calf was up and about quickly after he was born, he is already more adventurous than his older brother was at his age!

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Two years ago Rio arrived at the zoo from Marwell Wildlife in the UK to join Marmaduke who was mourning the death of female partner Hillary.

The keepers were hopeful the cute couple would connect and just over one year later were celebrating the birth of the pair’s first born calf. Now just 12 months later they welcome their second calf.

While this is only Rio’s second calf, Marmaduke has successfully fathered 18 tapir calves to date.

Brazilian Tapir calves are born with a number of white spots and stripes which act as camouflage in the wild. The markings mimic the dappled sunlight on the forest floor and help protect the youngsters in the wild and they disappear by the time the calves are about six months old.

Tapirs have a short trunk, which they use to grab branches and leaves or to help pluck tasty fruit. They are excellent swimmers and can dive to feed on aquatic plants.

To celebrate the new arrival, Dublin Zoo is inviting name suggestions for the male tapir calf based on his Brazilian origin. Suggestions will be accepted through the Dublin Zoo Facebook page at Facebook.com/dublinzoo.