This Malayan tapir house is one of the first things you come to after entering the park. It's a bit off on a side path, so it's easy to miss. Exhibited in a glass (acrylic?) room are two: the mother, Yume-chan, and Rin-chan, born in May 2022. The glass is curved and the reflections are severe, so it's not kind to camera photography. On the right you can observe them eating and resting indoors, and on the left you can watch them playing in the pool and enjoying the salad bar in the yard. Depending on timing, you might encounter the mother tapir's flamboyant marking in the yard. When Rin-chan came back to the room after a good play outside, the keeper was wiping her off with a bath towel. So kind. Baby tapirs are black with a spotted pattern for a while after birth, but gradually turn white starting around the rump and become completely black and white within a few months. The texture, as if painted white with crayon, is adorable.

If you want to see the Malayan tapirs, go first thing in the morning! They move around quite actively. The flehmen response (pheromone check), where they hoist their long upper lip way up, is always the best no matter when you see it.

The Malayan tapir, a rare animal. Apparently in April 2025, a female came to the zoo from a zoo in Indonesia for breeding.

2023.9 The first thing you find after entering is this Malayan tapir. That day it went into the water and was swimming.

Tama Zoological Park means Malayan tapirs! I often go see them right after entering! Please come see the tapirs while they're out, right after you arrive! Also, since the new Asian elephant area was built in 2021, you can go around to the opposite side and see the tapirs that used to be hidden from view from the old outdoor exhibit area, which I also recommend!