Endangered Malaysian tapir found dead upon arrival in Taiwan

Taipei, June 22 (CNA) — An endangered animal, a Malaysian tapir, transported by air from Japan to Taiwan was found dead upon arrival at Taiwan’s largest airport Friday evening, the Taipei Zoo said Saturday.

The tapir named Hideo was sent to the Taipei Zoo as part of an exchange program from the Zoorasia Zoo in Yokohama.

When Hideo was put on the plane in Japan at around 7 p.m. on Friday, he showed no signs of stress, according to a press release from the Taipei Zoo.

However, when the Malaysian tapir was taken off the plane about two hours later after arriving at Taoyuan International Airport, blood stains were visible in his crate, the zoo said.

Taipei Zoo staff who received the tapir at the airport confirmed at 9:35 p.m. that the endangered animal was not breathing, the press release said.

They immediately informed the Taipei Zoo and customs officials and the processing of Hideo’s papers was expedited, the zoo said.

The tapir was taken to the Taipei Zoo and placed in a quarantine area, but was pronounced dead five minutes after midnight, the zoo said, adding that it had no visible injuries.

Taipei Zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹) told media that a keeper accompanied Hideo to the airport in Japan, but that no specialist traveled with the animal on the plane.

The circumstances of the endangered animal’s death are “most likely unique in the world,” Tsao said.

Tapirs are usually transported by plane around the world. If the practice had been deemed too risky, it would have been stopped, he said.

An autopsy will be conducted on Sunday by experts from National Taiwan University (NTU) to determine whether Hideo was already suffering from health problems or had suffered trauma as a result of the changed environment, Tsao said.

Taiwan and Japan are both saddened by the incident and will work together to determine the cause of Hideo’s death, he said.

The Malayan tapir is native to Southeast Asia and is the only living tapir species outside of the Americas.

Since 2008, it has been listed as an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, as the adult population is estimated at fewer than 2,500 animals.