Is the Malayan Tapir timid?
Not necessarily. On November 20th, 1998, Oklahoma City Zoo keeper Lisa Morehead was savaged by a female Malayan tapir as she attempted to feed the animal’s 2 year old baby. Ms Morehead’s left arm was severed in the attack, in which she also sustained a punctured lung and neck. Extensive surgery saved 34 year old Morehead’s life, and the animal responsible for the attack was allowed to remain on display at the zoo as other keepers puzzled over why the generally placid tapir had suddenly gone berserk. Presumably she was following instinct and trying to protect her baby from what she mistook to be an attack by a predator.
