A very important member of The Belize Zoo family passed away
very late on Halloween night. April the
tapir, who was the oldest living female tapir in captivity, died peacefully in
her sleep. And while all at the zoo
mourn her loss, we are focusing our attention on celebrating her life and what
she meant to Belize, and to many people living outside our borders.
April arrived to the original zoo, one mile from the present
location, in April 1983. A hunter found
her lying in the Sibun River, unable to move.
He brought her to the little beginning zoo. The
small backyard menagerie was just three months old, and so was the young
mountain cow. Christened “April” by the
self-appointed zoo director, Sharon Matola, a hard task was at hand. “April” was in critical condition due to
being heavily infested by the notorious screw worm parasite. Now eradicated from Belize, screw worm was
known to kill species of wildlife as well as livestock. “April” was yet another victim.
Intensive tender-loving care was provided. Sharon and “April” became roommates. Receiving medication and nourishing banana
milkshakes infused with vitamins, the baby tapir slowly progressed and
improved. She would live! Word got out that a young tapir was at the
little zoo. People would wander in to
see her. Back then, what made an
impression on “April’s” adopted mom, Sharon, was the lack of understanding
which prevailed about the National Animal of Belize. Constantly, she would hear people say that
tapirs were dangerous animals. “They can skin you alive with their flexible
nose”. Sharon and “April” began working
together to change the misunderstandings about these special, gentle,
plant-eating mammals. Our National
Animal!
Sharon was committed to turning “April” into a star
ambassador for her species, which is an Endangered species, too. Her first birthday party happened when she
was two years old. Six children attended. Every year, this effort continued, and every
year the party got bigger, and bigger….posters were created applauding our
National Animal. School children began
visiting more regularly, “April” became a major attraction at the zoo. A mountain cow you can pet! And feeding “April” bananas was so very exciting
to countless kids.
Years passed, her popularity grew. And when “April” turned sweet sixteen, her
birthday party was covered on CNN news! She met royalty and movie stars, and she
herself starred in documentary wildlife films produced by Richard and Carol
Foster. She was famous both in Belize
and beyond our borders.
Today in Belize, people no longer attach false myths to our
country’s tapirs. These rare animals are
viewed as beloved Belizeans. The
important role they play in maintaining healthy forest ecosystems, is
understood throughout the nation. One
animal, “April” the tapir, provided the springboard for a vital environmental
awareness. Her seven tapir “buds” currently
living at the zoo will continue to see that the messages she brought into
light, thirty years ago, will continue on with zest. We will miss you, “April”. Thank you for all you did on behalf of one of
the most special animals on earth: the
Central American tapir.
No comments:
Post a Comment