With the body of a pig, an elongated body ending in a small, prehensile trunk and fingered paws, the tapir draws everyone’s curiosity. In reality, this animal is perfectly adapted to its living environment and its constraints. It lives in forests and swamps, where moving around and evading predators is a daily challenge. Its trunk allows it to grasp and bring to its mouth the fruit that makes up its main diet.
Although extremely timid in its natural environment, this close cousin of the rhinoceros and horses is a particularly friendly animal in zoological gardens. Its great weakness? Bananas and tickles. It is not unusual for the latter to go into a deep sleep during tickling sessions! A godsend for the animal keepers, who know how to accompany any medical examination of such adorable creatures.
