The world is full of miracles. Take this for example. For more than a century, scientists have thought that one rare animal was long extinct in one region. But recently, cameras caught the animal on film for the first time in more than a century.
It's been more than 100 years since anyone has seen the South American tapir in Brazil. So consider scientists surprised when trail cameras in the Atlantic Forest in Cunhambebe State Park happened to capture the species on film. It wasn't just one of the rare animals either. Three South American tapirs appeared for a photoshoot before disappearing back in the brush of Brazil.
I guess life finds a way. Tapirs are relatives of rhinoceros and haven't been spotted in the country since 1914. The last time someone saw one of the rare animals in the area was in the Serra dos ?"rgãos National Park in 1914. Imagine where the world was then vs where the world is now. Marvelous! Rio de Janeiro's State Environmental Institute captured the rare animal. Take a look below.
"This challenge reflects the importance of protected areas and conservation efforts in the recovery of emblematic species," an INEA spokesperson told DiarioAS.
Rare Animal Makes Reappearance
As a whole, tapirs are considered endangered thanks to urbanization as well as poaching and the destruction of their habitats. The species' outlook isn't helped by the fact that female tapirs have a very short window for getting pregnant.
Rio de Janeiro's State Environmental Institute
On average, the animal can live 25 to 30 years. But they face the risk of extinction due to external threats. As you can tell by the image above, tapirs are fairly big. They measure six feet and can weigh 550 pounds. So it's something of a miracle that no one has managed to come across one of the South American variants in Brazil in more than 100 years.
"The spontaneous return of the tapirs is a sign that the forests of Rio de Janeiro are capable of sustaining large mammals again," Marcelo Cupello, a biologist with INEA, told g1. "This demonstrates functional ecological connectivity, as these animals are using natural forest corridors."
He added, "In other words, the local fauna still maintains a certain capacity for movement and dispersion."
