TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – According to a press release issued by Taipei Zoo on Monday (June 24), a two-year-old endangered Malayan tapir named Hideo died of heat stress while aboard a cargo flight from Japan to Taiwan.
The zoo said an autopsy conducted by National Taiwan University (NTU) determined Hideo died in transit, suffering heat stress that led to physical ailments such as circulatory failure, pulmonary edema, congestion, and bleeding. It was dead when it arrived at Taoyuan International Airport around 8:30 p.m. on Friday (June 21).
The tapir came from the Zoorasia in Yokohama as part of a pre-arranged breeding program to increase the genetic diversity of Malayan tapirs held in captivity. The tapir traveled via a transport container, though it was unaccompanied during the flight.
Taipei Zoo Director Chen Yi-tsung (諶亦聰) said an exchange program started in March with the Taipei Zoo sending a young tapir to the Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya, Japan. In turn, Taipei Zoo was to receive Hideo, which traveled on a Japan Airlines (JAL) cargo flight.
Veterinarians, zookeepers, and other personnel were there to greet Hideo at the airport but found bloodstains in the transport container with the tapir lying on its side with no signs of breathing.
Taipei Zoo staff asked quarantine officers and customs personnel to expedite the customs clearance process to allow the animal to be transported back to the zoo for emergency veterinary care. Hideo was confirmed dead after arriving at the zoo.
Aside from several visible lesions, Hideo's core body temperature was 41 C. Major infectious diseases were also ruled out as a cause of death.
Taipei Zoo said it held a review meeting with Japanese zoo officials on Sunday (June 23). Japanese zoo officials pledged a follow-up investigation and an in-depth review that would examine autopsy results and other aspects of animal transport, including animal transport desensitization training, cargo box customization, and aviation requirements.
An exchange of Malayan tapirs for breeding purposes had been agreed to by zoo officials in Europe, Taiwan, and Japan, to promote healthy gene pools. However, even with careful planning, animal transportation still involves unpredictable risks. Taipei Zoo has pledged to learn from this experience to minimize the travel risks encountered by endangered zoo animals.