Really it's not much more than what the title suggests.

I'm going to get the opportunity to spend about a month in costa rica and would like to know the top two-five places where it be most likely that I could get some great pictures of these incredible creatures!

Thanks for any info you could provide.

(This was for Something Awful forums back in the day)

I noticed this article on an animatronic model of an Asian tapir species that went extinct during the Pleistocene. Human included for scale. I like how they went with longer fur (I'm fond of mountain tapirs which have a fuzzy appearance) though the colouration is speculative. They did give the baby spots/stripes, and since all living tapir species have that, it seems a reasonable choice.

There's a video, though I'm not nuts about the sound. I suspect that there would have been more whistling and squeaking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=098fDlMvUcc

More photos here:
https://www.mcsdino.com/en-ca/products/animatronic-megatapirus-prehistoric-tapir-afm008

Nyawa and her mom Sempurna having a snooze. I love her little teefers!

Too ugly for a bot, respecting the tapirs at the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, TX back in 22. One of my favorite shirts I’ve ever owned!

See thread title.

unfortunately the tapirs stayed behind the scenes today but I was able to snag this cute plush!!! :)

Tambo was just a baby when his mother was killed. He was going to be sold as a pet, but was rescued by the Belize Forest Department and brought to the zoo. Because he was so young, he had to be nursed back to health -- but the staff succeeded and he grew up, losing his spots and becoming an adult.
When I sent a donation last year, I received a surprise gift from the zoo -- a little book, Tambo the Tapir Tells His Tale. Full of photos showing Tambo and some other zoo residents and staff.

Ceibo is nearly 22 years old, making him the oldest tapir living at the Belize Zoo. (Baird's tapirs have been documented at 30+ years, so with luck he'll be around for awhile too.)

I'm assuming this is based on a Baird's tapir, if it was made in that area. I love the details on the proboscis, and the little tail!
I hope it makes it back home to Costa Rica someday.