Main image via Edinburgh Zoo
He’s small, he’s adorable and now, he has a name! Say hello to Megat!
Recently, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland welcomed the birth of a rare Malayan tapir calf. The then unnamed baby tapir was born to mother, Sayang and father, Mowgli, on 31st January.
Megat is the eight tapir calf to arrive at the Edinburgh Zoo in 12 years!
Malayan tapirs have been listed as an endangered species due to habitat loss and hunting. The European conservation-breeding programme has played a crucial role in protecting the species from extinction.
The Edinburgh Zoo held an online poll to name the new baby tapir. The suggestion of names were inspired by Malay words and places, for instance:
- Penang (Region in Malaysia)
- Haruun (Warrior Lion)
- Bintang (Star)
- Megat (Great)
- Amal (Charity/Hope)
- Bernam (A Malaysian river)
Image via Edinburgh Zoo
Ultimately, the name ‘Megat’ won with over 4,200 votes! According to Edinburgh Zoo’s Twitter account, close to 9,000 people took part in naming the rare baby tapir.
“We were blown away by the response to our public vote to name our newborn Malayan tapir,” the zoo tweeted. “With almost 9,000 people getting involved, including tremendous interest from the species native Malaysia, Megat stormed to victory with an impressive 4,236 votes!”
Awww! Welcome to the world, Megat!
Do you think the name was the perfect choice?
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