October 1, 2019
Cloud forest photo by Brenda Roberts
Just as we rounded a curve in the road near the top of the mountain, Billy exclaimed “Danta!” I knew the Spanish word for tapir and glanced up. There, at the opposite side of the road stood a young tapir, quietly munching leaves from a low tree branch. We were near the top of the ‘Cerro del Muerte’ (Mountain of Death) or the Pan Am highway and on our way from San Isidro de El General to a doctor appointment in San Jose. It was misty and cool in the 10,000 ft cloud forest summit
Quickly, Billy slowed and flashed his lights at an oncoming truck in the accepted way Tico drivers alert others to use extra caution. Through his rear view mirror he saw that the truck driver put on his flashing lights and was pulling over. “I want to turn around and go back”, Billy said and I agreed. Within minutes he had found a way to turn back and we pulled up behind the truck, turned on our own flashing lights and got out of the car. Now our flashing lights were also serving to protect and alert any other drivers.
The bulky animal paid us no particular attention and simply continued grabbing and munching leaves. At just about 10 feet away, we could see that it was fairly young animal and likely solitary, as is the tapir’s manner.
The Baird’s Tapir of Central America is one of four species worldwide and is a large, herbivorous mammal similar in shape to a pig and the size of a donkey, with a short nose-trunk that is prehensile, meaning that it is used to encircle and grab leaves that would be otherwise out of reach. It is endangered and protected in Costa Rica. And rarely seen. Tapir corridors along the ‘Cerro del Muete’ were marked with yellow signs urging motorists to be vigilant for the animals crossing the highway. Thought I had seen the signs, I had never seen an actual tapir in my eleven years in Costa Rica. And Billy had not ever seen one in his fifty years of life and numerous trips over the mountains by car and horseback. We felt honored and elated by the sighting.
photo by jan hart
After watching for several minutes, Billy talked briefly with the truck driver and discovered mutual connections (a distant nephew or cousin). To me it appeared that there was no one in southern Costa Rica that Billy did not know or know of, somehow. We then walked back to the car and slowly passed by the tapir, still chewing and munching. Billy again had to find a suitable area to turn the car back toward north and San Jose. As we slowly passed the tapir sighting place Billy caught sight of it scrambling back up into the forest undergrowth where it would once again be safe and unseen. The only proof of its presence were the remaining bare branches along the road.
