Tapir captured while fleeing a fire, dies at Chetumal Zoo

A tapir that was rescued while trying to get away from a forest fire in the municipality of José María Morelos, Quintana Roo, finally died at the Chetumal Zoo.

In a statement on social networks, the Payo Obispo Zoo noted that the animal arrived in a very poor health condition.

The statement claimed that they made every effort to take care of him, but it was not possible and the tapir died a day after its arrival.

“Despite the efforts of the park’s veterinary staff and Profepa’s medical personnel, who were treating the specimen, it no longer resisted and died of capture myopathy,” the statement said.

Capture myopathy (MC) corresponds to a non-infectious metabolic disease described in wild and domestic animals, commonly associated with the pursuit, capture, restriction and transport of a specimen.

Experts explained that the way in which the tapir was captured was not adequate since it led to a high level of stress and physical overstrain, that eventually led to myopathy, which was favored by the lack of food and water in its habitat, in addition to fires.

The tapir went through a very stressful, traumatic situation associated with the persecution, capture, restriction and other dangerous factors that caused its death in the end.

Finally, the Chetumal zoo recommended that in case of spotting a wild animal in distress, people must call the competent authorities, so that wildlife management specialists carry out the appropriate manipulation, capture and rescue of wild specimens.

Source: The Riviera Maya Times