Israel welcomes a baby tapir to its safari.
Zookeepers at Israel's Ramat Gan Safari have announced the birth of a baby tapir.
The calf was born on Saturday to parents Passiflora and Meir and drew much attention from visitors as it nursed from his mother, who was also born at the safari.
Zoo trainer Gali Burkovich said employees at the zoo were all very proud.
"He was very healthy, he weighs five kilos. He's following her, he's nursing. It makes us all very proud and hopeful that we can continue breeding these endangered animals successfully," she said.
The successful breed came just 12 months after the proud parents gave birth to a female baby tapir named Papaya.
He is the first male tapir to be born in the safari.
Born after a gestation period of about 13 months, the baby has a striped and spotted coat which he will lose as he grows older and bigger.
The Tapir, an endangered South American mammal, will eventually grow to the size of a very large wild hog-like animal.
Sat Dec 29, 2012 6:13 pm
