Baby tapir at Fota Wildlife Park is calling out for a name

Fota Wildlife Park is seeking public help in naming its latest arrival, a three- week-old male tapir.

He is the first calf of parents Maya and Bazil and the first Brazilian Tapir born at the Cork Wildlife Park since 2006. His birth is part of a breeding programme for this vulnerable species.

The parents have a multi-cultural relationship, with Maya coming from Lodz in Poland and Bazil from Curragh Wildlife Park in the Isle of Man in 2012.

"We are delighted with the birth of this little tapir calf that seems very active already in the few days he has been outside," said Stephen Ryan of Fota Wildlife Park.

The calf has a striking coat of pale spots and stripes on a reddish brown background to camouflage it in the wild.

To gain public interest in the Brazilian Tapirs whose population has been decreasing in the wild, the park is running a competition to name him.

"We are sure they will come up with another great name following on from the suggestions of Rog the cheetah, Shay Gibbon, Zedward the zebra and Fada the giraffe in the past," said Mr Ryan.

A relative of the primate horse and rhinoceros, the Brazilian tapir is one of four species of tapir in the world. It can weigh up to 250kg, is 2m long and has a flexible snout that helps collect food.

Tapir comes from the Brazilian word for “thick”, which is a reference to its tough skin. The tapir inhabits the rainforests of South America and lives near water which it uses to escape from predators such as jaguars, pumas and anacondas.

You can suggest a name for the tapir calf via the park’s website. The winning suggestion will win a Wild Experience at the park where they will spend time with the head warden behind the scenes.