Othón P. Blanco, Q.R. — An injured tapir was rescued, treated and released by municipal officials Thursday. The animal was reportedly seen wounded by residents in the southern community of El Tesoro in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco.
Personnel from the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection, the National Commission for Protected Natural Areas, the Ecology Institute of Ecosur Chetumal Unit, WWF and the Directorate of Biodiversity and Animal Welfare all participated in its capture, treatment and subsequent release.
The animal was found with a superficial wound that was treated by a local veterinarian. Since the wound was not serious, the animal was transferred into the southern jungle where it was released back into the wild.
The tapir, which looks like a pig with a trunk, is actually related to horses and rhinoceroses. These herbivorous mammals are native to the local jungle and forest regions of Quintana Roo. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, tapirs are on the endangered list.
