April (April 27, 1983 - October 31, 2013) was a

tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inhabit ...

living at the Belize Zoo in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

from 1983 until her death in 2013. She was a

Baird's tapir The Baird's tapir (''Tapirus bairdii''), also known as the Central American tapir, is a species of tapir native to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America. It is the largest of the three species of tapir native to the Americas, as ...

, the national animal of Belize. April was born on 27 April 1983. That date is now National Tapir Day in Belize, and World Tapir Day globally. April first came to the zoo in 1983 when she was very ill from a

screwworm ''Cochliomyia'' is a genus in the family Calliphoridae, known as blowflies, in the order Diptera. ''Cochliomyia'' is commonly referred to as the New World screwworm flies, as distinct from Old World screwworm flies. Four species are in this genu ...

infestation.

Sharon Matola Sharon Matola (June 3, 1954 – March 21, 2021) was an American-born Belizean biologist, environmentalist, and zookeeper. She was the founding director of the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center, a zoo which was started in 1983 to protect ...

, the keeper at the zoo, nursed her back to health. Every year, a birthday party was held to celebrate April's birthday. In 2008 the party was attended by Belize Minister of State,

Elvin Penner Elvin Penner is a Belizean politician who served in the House of Representatives from 2008 to 2015 representing the Cayo North East constituency. He is a member of the United Democratic Party. Penner was the first Belizean Mennonite elected to ...

. In 2012, April was given four birthday cakes made out of horse chow, honey, cucumbers and flowers. April died on 31 October 2013. She was 30 years old at the time of her death.

References

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External links

World Tapir Day website
Tapirs 1983 animal births 2013 animal deaths Individual odd-toed ungulates