Animal rescue workers in West Sumatra, Indonesia were called out on Tuesday (August 29) to free a tapir which escaped from a conservation centre and fell into a palace pond.<br /><br />Rescuers wrapped ropes around the struggling animal to haul it from the pond in Bung Hatta Palace, Bukittinggi City and then pushed it into a large cage.<br /><br />The tapir was then transported back to the West Sumatra Conservation and Resource Centre at the Museum of Wildlife and Culture Zoo.<br /><br />Veterinarians examined the tapir which was found to be weak from the stress of the incident and also suffering from blisters to the body, legs and back.<br /><br />The tapir will recover from its ordeal for a month at the conservation centre before being released into its natural habitat.<br /><br />Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeastern Asia.<br /><br />Their closest relatives include horses, donkeys, zebras and rhinoceroses.
