'Strong, happy and healthy' tapir is latest arrival at Twycross

This cute furry creature is the latest arrival at Twycross Zoo.

The female tapir was born eight days ago to parents Muffin and Pele, and, the zoo reports, is "strong, happy and healthy".

Until now, the calf has stayed within the tapir enclosure under the watchful eyes of the zoo's on-site veterinary team.

Team leader Julian Chapman said: "When we arrived at the zoo last Friday morning, we saw mum had given birth and both were bright and alert and getting to know each other.

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"We decided to give them a bit of space for the first few days, so they've remained off show within the enclosure up until now.

"The calf is strong, healthy and suckling well and we are very pleased with the progress."

Tapirs give birth to a single youngster after a gestation period of about 13 months.

The baby has a striped and spotted coat which she will lose as she grows older.

Julian said: "The youngster hasn't been named yet. We are hoping the public will help choose a name for us. We invite everyone to check our Facebook page for details of the competition soon."

A spokeswoman said Brazilian tapirs were normally found in lowland regions of northern and central South America, and were listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Redlist of endangered species.