Name contest on hold as tapir falls ill

The 1,200 entries in the baby-naming contest came from grade schools and convalescent homes, long-time members of the Franklin Park Zoo and one-time visitors who fell in love with the pudgy newborn with the trunk-like nose.

But instead of announcing the Baird tapir's name yesterday, zoo officials disclosed that the infant had pneumonia.

"The reality is that this guy could die," said John Linehan, president and chief executive of Zoo New England. "That's the reality we are grappling with."

Last month, the tapir's rare birth in captivity drew great fanfare. On Monday, zookeepers noticed that his breath was raspy, wet, and labored. A chest X-ray showed bacterial pneumonia, which is common in newborn animals.

The tapir -- a 45-pound Central American mammal that looks like a cross between a hog and an elephant -- has begun responding to an aggressive regimen of antibiotics.

But that doesn't mean zookeepers are not nervous. The tapir has been taken out of the public exhibit, so he can rest and is not tempted to play in the deep pools in his usual holding area.

"He is with his mom. He still looks bright and alert, but it is still a serious condition," Dr. Hayley Murphy, the zoo's head veterinarian, said in a telephone interview yesterday.

As a species, tapirs fall somewhere between horses and rhinos. They are hoofed animals that live in the jungles, lowland forests, and rain forests, Linehan said. They love to swim and will often spend days alone in lakes or streams. The solitude, combined with a 13-month gestation period, accounts for a low birth rate, especially in captivity.

The tapir at the Franklin Park Zoo was born March 16 to Abby, a 650-pound female who stands 4 feet at the shoulders. The father, Milton, is 6 inches shorter and almost 250 pounds lighter than his mate. Their baby was 20 pounds at birth and had the characteristic rust-colored coat and white spots and stripes of a young tapir.

His coat, which will turn a bluish-gray as he matures, inspired some who entered the contest to suggest names such as Spotty and Stripes.

Other suggestions include an amalgamation of his parents names, such as Mabby.

"I've heard several people suggest Jimmy Durante," Linehan said, referring to the entertainer who first gained popularity in the 1920s. "He's that guy with the big hook nose who goes, 'Ha-cha-cha-chaaaaaaa!' "

Zoo officials, however, have stopped all speculation and won't talk about the name until the tapir recovers.

"He's a really cute baby," Murphy said. "We want to see him do well. I don't want people to think he is out of the woods yet. He certainly isn't."