A Malayan tapir, named Budak Puntja in Czech or Moko (貘克) in Chinese, on Tuesday died from undetermined causes at Taipei Zoo after falling ill and running a high temperature since the weekend, the zoo said in a statement on Wednesday.
The zoo said the animal was found lying next to a pool in its enclosure on Tuesday morning, but was unable to stand. A veterinarian then administered a blood test, provided a nutritional supplement and other medical treatment throughout the day, but Budak Puntja was found unresponsive at 3:30pm.
The ensuing efforts to revive the Malayan tapir proved ineffective, the zoo said, adding that an autopsy was to be performed yesterday to determine the cause of death.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Zoo
The seven-year-old Malayan tapir first showed signs of fatigue on Saturday, but seemingly recovered after eating and bathing in the enclosure pool, the zoo said.
The zoo had let the animal rest since Sunday, when it failed to finish its evening meal and suffered from diarrhea.
A veterinarian on Monday discovered the tapir was running a fever. At that point, a first blood test was administered, and the animal was injected with antibiotics and provided with a nutritional supplement.
In addition, an industrial fan was installed in the enclosure and blocks of ice placed on the ground, in an effort to lower the temperature, the zoo said.
Taipei Zoo spokesperson Tsao Hsien-shao (曹先紹) on Wednesday told reporters that the tapir’s condition deteriorated rapidly, so further work was needed to determine the cause of death.
Budak Puntja was born in Prague Zoo in the Czech Republic on Oct. 15, 2015, and arrived in Taiwan on March 15, 2018, as part of a cross-institute breeding program.
The Malayan tapir was paired with two female Malayan tapirs, Mofang (貘芳) and Moli (貘莉), at Taipei Zoo in February 2019 and two cubs were born in 2020 and 2021, who were later named Motou (貘豆) and Mohuatou (貘花豆).
The zoo said Budak Puntja and his offspring have successfully raised public awareness of the endangered herbivore species from Southeast Asia.
A memorial gathering is to be held for Budak Puntja in the coming days, the zoo added.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
A woman who allegedly spiked the food and drinks of an Australian man with rat poison, leaving him in intensive care, has been charged with attempted murder, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. The woman, identified by her surname Yang (楊), is accused of repeatedly poisoning Alex Shorey over the course of several months last year to prevent the Australian man from leaving Taiwan, prosecutors said in a statement. Shorey was evacuated back to Australia on May 3 last year after being admitted to intensive care in Taiwan. According to prosecutors, Yang put bromadiolone, a rodenticide that prevents blood from
A Japanese space rocket carrying a Taiwanese satellite blasted off yesterday, but was later seen spiraling downward in the distance as the company said the launch attempt had failed. It was the second attempt by the Japanese start-up Space One to become the country’s first private firm to put a satellite into orbit, after its first try in March ended in a mid-air explosion. This time, its solid-fuel Kairos rocket had been carrying five satellites, including one from the Taiwan Space Agency and others designed by Japanese students and corporate ventures. Spectators gathered near the company’s coastal Spaceport Kii launch pad in Japan’s
RSS