Blog

We recently welcomed a young tapir (or anta, as they’re called in Brazil) to the sanctuary wildlife rehabilitation and release program. The local community authorities brought the little guy, who has been named Biscoito by the staff, but we’re not sure of his back story. When he arrived, he preferred fruit milkshakes to drink, but we have weaned him off of the milk, since he’s past old enough to eat and drink the appropriate meals. We have offered him a variety of fruits, greens, and vegetables in addition to the natural browse of leaves and fruit from local trees. 

Luckily, he seems drawn to the food that would come from foraging more than the produce we have given. This is good news, since he arrived at sanctuary overweight, and local environmentally suitable meals will help him become more acclimated to a natural life. Biscoito prefers ground cover and natural food to most of what we offer him, which is wonderful. He arrived a little too attached to humans for our comfort, so we’re working on fostering independence; it’s always for the best when animals who will be released into the wild aren’t too comfortable around humans. That will help him reacclimate to nature more quickly and live the life he was meant to. We’ll update you more about Biscoito as things progress in his healing and readiness for release.