Guapiaçu Project releases new couple of tapirs in the Atlantic Forest

The forests of Cachoeiras de Macacu gained two new residents this Friday (26). A couple of tapirs were released in the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve by the Guapiaçu Project, sponsored by Petrobras. The animals were baptized with the names Jerivá and Juçara by high school students from the Matinha Municipal School. The names refer to palm trees native to the Atlantic Forest, sources of food for tapirs and other species. The Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve is located in the municipality of Cachoeiras de Macacu, in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. Juçara is three years and nine months old and weighs 170 kilos, while Jerivá is two years and six months old and weighs around 200 kilos. The tapirs had been acclimatizing since January of this year, in a fenced area for adaptation before release. The animals come from the interior of São Paulo. The male was donated by the Ecological Park of São Carlos and the female, by the Municipal Zoo of São José do Rio Preto. Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Release of the Jerivá and Juçara Tapirs Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve . Photo: Vitor Marigo The two tapirs will continue to be monitored by the Guapiaçu Project’s veterinarians. Camera traps were installed and the animals received a radiotelemetry collar for monitoring. With these two pieces of equipment, specialists are able to find out the location of the animal, in addition to estimating its weight and observing its habits and diet. Juçara and Jerivá will receive food until they are fully adapted to their natural habitat. The species is still found in the Atlantic Forest, the Amazon, the Cerrado and the Pantanal and plays an important role in the biodiversity of Brazilian forests. Known as the “gardener of the forests”, the tapir disperses tree and plant seeds over large areas, thus contributing to the regeneration of vegetation. The species can live up to 35 years of age. Tapirs had been extinct in Rio de Janeiro for over 100 years due to poaching and deforestation. The first tapir was reintroduced by the Guapiaçu Project in 2017. Currently, there are already 16 animals living in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro, between the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve, the Três Picos State Park and its surroundings. Four of them were born free, which indicates the success of this process of reintroduction of the species.

Agência Brasil