A Malayan tapir from Japan on Friday night died during a flight to Taiwan, Taipei Zoo said yesterday, adding that an autopsy would be performed to help clarify the cause of death.
As part of an animal exchange program, the two-year-old Malayan tapir named Hideo from Yokohama Zoological Gardens “Zoorasia” was scheduled to arrive at a warehouse at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 9pm on Friday, Taipei Zoo said.
After discovering blood while inspecting the transport crate at 9:25pm, zoo workers checked Hideo’s condition through the ventilation holes, but the tapir was not breathing as of 9:35pm, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Yokohama Zoological Gardens “Zoorasia”
Hideo was confirmed to not have a heartbeat at 12:05am yesterday, after the crate was opened at Taipei Zoo, it added.
As experts from Zoorasia accompanied Hideo to the airport before the flight, the animal should have been in stable condition before boarding the Japan Airlines flight to Taiwan, Taipei Zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹) said.
However, as it was transported on a cargo plane without accompanying personnel and found dead upon arrival in Taiwan, Taipei Zoo has arranged for an autopsy to be performed today to determine the cause of its sudden death en route to Taiwan, Tsao said.
Only through an autopsy can zoo personnel understand whether the tapir had underlying conditions, if it developed problems due to changes in its environment or if there is another cause of death, he said.
Detailed plans are formulated before animal transfers, including the types of crates used, whether zookeepers or veterinarians are allowed to visit the animals in the cargo hold, and the frequency of such visits, he said, adding that cases of sudden death during flights are rare.
“If scientific evidence shows what went wrong during the transfer process, we can at least make changes to prevent such a tragedy from happening again,” he said.
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