On May 7, 2016, Malayan Tapir was born at Tama Zoo. The male, born to mother Liza and father Daifuku, was named "Kou." The name was chosen with the hope that he would be happy, like his father Daifuku (meaning "big mochi"), and that he and his older brother Ken would grow up healthy.

This is Liza's fifth pregnancy. Let's take a look at what this strong-willed mother Liza went through before and after her pregnancy and childbirth.

Kou the day after his birthday (May 8, 2016)		Kou, with his limited-time wild boar cub pattern. I've started to eat solid food little by little.

Malayan Tapir have a gestation period of more than a year. Liza mated with Daifuku at the end of March 2015, and they continued to live together afterward, but no further mating was observed. It was around February 2016 that we began to suspect Liza might be pregnant, as her appetite increased day by day and she grew larger.

The gestation period for Malayan Tapir is said to be 390 to 407 days, so we carefully observed Liza's abdomen and mammary glands starting about 370 days after her last mating. We looked at the mammary glands, located near the base of her hind legs, from directly behind Liza to check their firmness. While brushing Liza's body, we touched her abdomen to see if we could feel fetal movements, and we checked if milk came out by squeezing her mammary glands. We checked as much as we could, and made sure she didn't suffer from lack of sunlight or exercise, allowing her to spend her days in the enclosure until just before giving birth.

On May 7th, after the check-up, we let Liza out into the enclosure, but she seemed a little different than usual, so we brought her back to her sleeping quarters in the morning. Then, a little after 3 PM, when I touched Liza's abdomen as she was eating as usual, I felt an intense heat on my hand that I had never felt before. However, there was no change in Liza's behavior.

However, less than two hours later, Liza gave birth to Kou as if nothing had happened. I was nearby, but the birth was so easy that I missed the precious sight of a tapir giving birth. When I saw Kou, I felt relieved but also let down, and I had mixed feelings about my own lack of observational skills.

Liza has been raising her child with great ease and without any nervousness since giving birth. Perhaps influenced by Liza, Kou is growing up very happily and healthily. Liza and Kou usually spend their time in a glass-enclosed bedroom, so you can see them anytime during opening hours.

[Mariko Saito, Tama Zoo]

(June 10, 2016)