Behind every birth of an endangered species lies much more than an exciting moment. There are years of observation, learning, veterinary monitoring, facility adaptations, and hundreds of decisions made by a specialized team. All that knowledge, which usually remains behind the scenes, is also part of conservation.
With the aim of sharing this experience with other professionals, Fernando Gómez, second in command of the Zoology Department at BIOPARC Fuengirola, has written the article “Tari, the Malayan Miracle”, published in issue 54 of the bulletin of the Iberian Association of Keepers of Wild Animals (AICAS), one of the leading technical publications for zoo and aquarium keepers in Spain and Portugal.
The article recounts from the inside the long process that culminated in the birth of Tari, the first Malayan tapir born at BIOPARC Fuengirola after 22 years working with this species, an especially relevant event due to the enormous difficulty of its reproduction under human care.
“Caregivers learn to be attentive to tiny signs… Each of those details builds an intimate map of the progress of the pregnancy.”
Far from simply narrating the birth, the text describes the work carried out for more than a year by the zoology team: the medical training that allowed stress-free ultrasounds, the specific preparation of the facilities, the adaptation of the indoor and outdoor spaces, the permanent monitoring by cameras and the daily monitoring of the female's behavior during the thirteen months of gestation.
For BIOPARC Fuengirola, these types of publications are part of its commitment to conservation. Sharing experiences, protocols, and lessons learned allows other teams to benefit from this knowledge and increase the chances of success in future breeding programs for endangered species.
The article itself conveys the human dimension behind the work of the caregivers. Fernando Gómez explains how some professionals spent their entire careers without ever witnessing a Malayan tapir birth, while others were fortunate enough to witness this event after years of dedication. He describes the experience as "one of those moments that reminds you why every effort is worthwhile."
Tari's birth also represents a significant achievement for international conservation. At the time of writing, only 23 Malayan tapir births had been recorded worldwide, four of them in the last year. In Europe, there are just 47 individuals distributed among 23 zoos, while around 2.000 survive in the wild, highlighting the importance of international breeding programs coordinated among zoological institutions.
The publication of this work reflects another, lesser-known facet of BIOPARC Fuengirola. In addition to the daily care of the animals and their participation in more than forty international conservation programs, the park's professionals actively collaborate in conferences, specialized associations, and technical publications, sharing knowledge with the international zoological community to continue improving animal welfare and the conservation of the most threatened species.
In a particularly symbolic year, in which BIOPARC Fuengirola celebrates its 25th anniversary, initiatives like this remind us that conservation is not only built in the park's habitats, but also through research, training and knowledge transfer among professionals.
Full article HERE.
