But for the Denver Zoo's staff helping it breathe, the animal would not be alive

Oct 22, 2012 19:51 GMT  ·  By
Staff at the Denver Zoo performs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, saves the life of a baby tapir
   Staff at the Denver Zoo performs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, saves the life of a baby tapir

Only last month, a female tapir looked after by staff at the Denver Zoo went into labor. After delivering the baby, the animal had some troubles in freeing it from its amniotic sac, and zookeepers had to step in and lend a helping hand.

Sources report that, because the tapir baby was unable to breathe, keepers had to also perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

As they later explained, this allowed them to clear the animal’s lungs of the liquid that kept it from breathing properly.

The good news is that, in spite of this experience, the tapir calf is now doing great. Thus, it is highly unlikely that it will display any noteworthy health conditions.

“It's always a little scary when something like this happens, but thankfully we all have great resources and training,” a spokesperson for the Denver Zoo told members of the press with respect to this incident.