An autopsy on a Malayan tapir that died during a flight to Taiwan on Friday showed that the animal died of circulation failure, coagulation disorders and pulmonary edema due to heat stress, Taipei Zoo said yesterday.
A two-year-old Malayan tapir named Hideo from Yokohama Zoological Gardens “Zoorasia” arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday evening, but after an inspection at the airport warehouse, blood was found near its crate, and it was not breathing.
It was confirmed that Hideo had no heartbeat at midnight after the crate was opened at Taipei Zoo, the zoo said on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of the Yokohama Zoological Gardens “Zoorasia"
On Sunday, Taipei Zoo gathered its veterinarians and experts from National Taiwan University’s School of Veterinary Medicine to perform an autopsy on Hideo, and held an online meeting with officials from the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, and experts from Yokohama Zoo.
Taipei Zoo Veterinary Office chief Lai Yen-hsueh (賴燕雪) yesterday said there were visible blood marks inside and outside the crate when it arrived at the airport, and after opening the crate, they found a friction injury on Hideo’s head, serious scratches on his four limbs, pale muscles and subcutaneous bleeding.
“After performing the autopsy, we could exclude the possibility of a serious infection, because we observed coagulation disorders throughout the body and pulmonary edema, caused by heat stress,” she said.
When they opened the crate, Hideo was found to have a core body temperature of 41°C, Lai said, adding that the Malayan tapir normally has a body temperature of 36°C to 37°C, and when its body temperature rises to 41°C, it can lead to a series of reactions leading to multiple organ failure.
Taipei Zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹) said a body temperature of 41°C is extremely high and no mammals can survive the temperature for long, but the local temperature at Narita International Airport near Tokyo was about 22°C when Hideo boarded the plane, and the airline maintained a temperature of 26°C to 27°C in the cargo hold during the flight.
It is unknown what caused Hideo’s core body temperature to rise, and the open wounds were most likely caused by him bumping against the sides of the crate because he was uncomfortable and struggling, Tsao said, adding that the zoo would try to clarify what part of the transportation went wrong, to prevent any repeat incidents.
He said that the Japanese experts did not have different opinions toward their autopsy results, but they all felt sad about the incident, especially the zookeeper who took care of Hideo since he was born.
The two-hour flight is not very long for animal transportation, he said, adding that the Japanese side arranged the transportation this year, but Taipei Zoo would seek to play a larger role in planning animal exchange programs, he added.
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