‘Tiny walking watermelons’: Calgary zoo says Malayan tapir expecting a calf

Advertisement

Advertise with us

CALGARY - The Calgary zoo is expecting a new addition this summer that it says will look like a little watermelon on four legs.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/01/2025 (605 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY – The Calgary zoo is expecting a new addition this summer that it says will look like a little watermelon on four legs.

Four-year-old Malayan tapir Sempurna is pregnant with a calf sired by 23-year-old Tanuck.

Baby tapirs have white markings on their bodies with a pattern resembling the outside of a watermelon.

A female Malayan tapir named Sempurna is seen at the Calgary zoo, in Calgary, in a Jan. 9 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
A female Malayan tapir named Sempurna is seen at the Calgary zoo, in Calgary, in a Jan. 9 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

The zoo says it’s cautiously optimistic about a successful birth, and it plans to launch #WatermelonWatchYYC on social media as the calf’s arrival approaches.

The typical gestation period for tapirs is about 13 1/2 months, which would put the due date between mid-July and mid-August.

The zoo says wild Malayan tapir populations are rapidly declining in Asia due to habitat loss, poaching and conflict with humans.

“This pregnancy is a huge win for Malayan tapir conservation — and we’re thrilled to support Sempurna through this next phase in her journey,” said Jennifer Godwin, an animal care manager at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.

“Tanuck and Sempurna are beloved ambassadors for their species, and the successful birth of a calf would be an important step forward in the conservation of their endangered population.

“Plus, let’s be honest — tapir babies are basically tiny, walking watermelons, which are extremely adorable!”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2025.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Manitoba abandoning spring, fall clock changes

Carol Sanders 8 minute read Preview

Manitoba abandoning spring, fall clock changes

Carol Sanders 8 minute read Updated: 8:48 AM CDT

Time’s up for the time change in Manitoba.

Manitobans won’t be setting their clocks back an hour in November. The province has decided to permanently stay on daylight time after surveying residents on the twice annual clock adjustment.

“We heard from Manitobans loud and clear — no more changing the clocks in Manitoba,” Premier Wab Kinew said in a news release Thursday.

Most of the 72,000 votes submitted in an online EngageMB survey — 92 per cent — said they would like to see the practice end. The survey asked if they preferred earlier sunrises in winter with standard time or the later sunsets in summer with daylight time. More than half of survey participants (58 per cent) indicated a preference to stay on permanent daylight time; 34 per cent voted to eliminate the time change but stay on standard time.

Read
Updated: 8:48 AM CDT

Jets vets weigh in on franchise goalie Hellebuyck not reporting to training camp

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Jets vets weigh in on franchise goalie Hellebuyck not reporting to training camp

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Yesterday at 6:35 PM CDT

Hockey is the ultimate team sport, where it’s supposed to be about the crest on your chest rather than the name on your back.

So how is Connor Hellebuyck’s trade request and subsequent training camp strike playing out inside the Winnipeg Jets locker room — particularly among other core players he’s gone to battle with over the years?

“Obviously the news is heartbreaking,” Jets forward Kyle Connor said Thursday.

“It feels like we had such a special group here and for whatever reason — I can’t speak to the reason until we hear from the man, I’m not going to speculate on what it is but I know that a lot of guys in that room that are heartbroken.”

Read
Yesterday at 6:35 PM CDT

A Winnipeg lawyer has been disbarred after admitting to six counts of professional misconduct and two counts of providing incompetent service involving eight clients.

The career-ending decision marks the sixth time Gisele Champagne has been disciplined by the Law Society of Manitoba since she was called to the bar in 1992.

“Disbarment is the appropriate remedy when a lawyer has demonstrated a repeated pattern of conduct that violates professional standards,” a law society panel said in a written decision released Wednesday.

“A lawyer who has been unable to learn from past discipline proceedings to fulfill his or her obligation to provide ethical and high-quality legal services must at some point lose the privilege of practising law.”

Province rips Bell over second 911 outage

Chris Kitching 6 minute read Preview

Province rips Bell over second 911 outage

Chris Kitching 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:08 PM CDT

A 911 outage that lasted about 90 minutes in Manitoba and other provinces early Thursday morning was caused by a problem with Bell’s next-generation network amid concerns about recurring disruptions.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 6:08 PM CDT

Klein launches mayoral campaign with pledge to make Winnipeg safest city in Canada

Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Preview

Klein launches mayoral campaign with pledge to make Winnipeg safest city in Canada

Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Updated: 5:31 PM CDT

Mayoral candidate Kevin Klein says he would make Winnipeg the safest city in Canada by the end of his four-year term, if elected.

“Crime is happening all over the city and we have to take steps to address it,” Klein said at his first campaign announcement Friday morning.

The candidate said crime is “getting out of control,” noting his grandchild’s car seat was recently stolen from a vehicle parked in a typically quiet neighbourhood.

He promised to hire 100 to 110 more police officers, which he believes would cost between $9 million and $11 million.

Read
Updated: 5:31 PM CDT

Police officer faces charges of domestic assault

Free Press staff 2 minute read Preview

Police officer faces charges of domestic assault

Free Press staff 2 minute read Yesterday at 4:26 PM CDT

A Winnipeg police officer has been charged after police said he broke into a woman’s home and attacked her.

Police were sent to a home on Wednesday shortly before 10:20 p.m., the Winnipeg Police Service said in a Thursday news release. When officers arrived, they found the man, 20-year member in his 40s, inside a home assaulting the woman, the release said.

The man was taken into custody and the woman was given medical aid.

She told officers the man broke into the home, threatened to kill her and then attacked her.

Read
Yesterday at 4:26 PM CDT