Zoo-Keeper Gives Baby Tapir Kiss of Life
Wed Apr 10, 11:02 AM ET
HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - A German zoo-keeper saved a newborn tapir from death by giving it mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, a spokeswoman for the Hanover Zoo said on Wednesday.
The keeper was present at the birth of the zoo's first baby tapir, a relative of the rhinoceros and the horse that has a long, flexible snout and whose favorite food is bananas.
Baby Carmina was born buttocks first and had breathed in fluid while still in its mother's womb, which left her in danger of suffocation.
"After cleaning the blood and slime from the tapir, he held its mouth and gave it artificial respiration," said zoo press officer Simone Hagenmeyer. She said all zoo-keepers were trained to perform the kiss of life on their charges.
"It does take a strong nerve to do it," she said.
Hagenmeyer said the keeper, Dieter Schulte, had a tricky job as Carmina had very small lungs and it would therefore have been dangerous to blow into them too hard.
Both Carmina and her mother Conchita are now in good health. Adult tapirs can weigh up to 770 pounds. They have thick, hairy skin and short tails, as well as their distinguishing trunks.
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This photo is NOT of the baby in the story, but still mighty cute!
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