Visitors to Franklin Park Zoo may get the chance to spot our tapir tot! The Baird’s tapir calf will be on exhibit alongside mom, Abby, in her Tropical Forest exhibit at scheduled intervals. Please check our Facebook page for the lastest schedule updates. Please note, this is subject to change based on the baby's needs as she gets used to her new surroundings.

The female tapir, born at 3:06 p.m. on January 1, rang in the ZOO Year. Read more about her birth.

Name that tapir!

The Zoo Year’s baby needs a name, and YOU can help! Now through January 31, you can vote on your favorite name (see below) with a $5 donation. The name with the most funds raised will be the winner!

All funds raised will directly support Global Wildlife Conservation's (GWC) Nicaragua Tapir Project. GWC helps lead a Baird’s Tapir GPS telemetry project in Nicaragua’s Indio Maíz Biological Reserve. 

And the names are...

• Estrella
  Spanish word for “star”
• Hope
  Our New Year's baby tapir represents hope for the New Year as well as for the future of the tapir species
• Ixchel
  (Pronounced EE-SHELL) meaning Mayan moon goddess
• Pepita
  Meaning "little seed" or "pumpkin seed" in Spanish