Malayan tapir that died in transit killed by heat stress: Taipei Zoo

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) An on-loan Malayan tapir found dead in its crate after arriving at Taoyuan International Airport Friday night from Japan was likely killed by heat stress, Taipei Zoo said Monday.

The tapir, named Hideo, was on its way to Taipei from Zoorasia Zoo in Yokohama City as part of an exchange program.

Lai Yen-hsueh (賴燕雪), head of Taipei Zoo's veterinary office, said that there were blood smears inside and outside the endangered animal's crate, while the animal had large areas of scrapes on its head and serious wounds on its hoofs.

An autopsy showed white muscles, multiple hemorrhages, and no coagulation in the body. In addition, Hideo's core temperature was at 41 degrees Celsius upon arrival at the zoo, Lai said.

Initial analysis concluded that Hideo suffered from acute circulatory failure, coagulopathy and pulmonary edema resulting from heat stress. The possibility of infectious diseases has been ruled out, said Lai.

A mammal's core body temperature is usually around 36-37 degrees, Taipei Zoo spokesperson Eric Tsao (曹先紹) said, noting that heat stress occurs when an animal's core body temperature rises due to anxiety, rather than from the surrounding temperatures.

It is currently unclear what caused it to feel stress, but clearly, it had struggled with anxiety for some time, Tsao said.

The zoo will work with the Japanese to trace back and infer the transport procedures to clarify the reason, said Tsao.

For similar projects in the future, the zoo will learn from this experience, plan comprehensively, remove all possible risks and make all improvements possible, Tsao said.