by Thom Morris

tmorris@thekmgroup.co.uk

It will be a busy Valentine's Day for Hunter the Tapir who has been sent to Port Lympne to breed with the park's two females.

The two-year-old Malayan Tapir arrived from London Zoo in June to be their new breeding male. He has now been successfully introduced to two older females, Laedang, 11, and Malacca, eight, who he is rotated between daily.

Head of hoof stock Bob Savill said: "Port Lympne houses the largest collection of Malayan tapir in the UK, so Hunter was always going to have his work cut out as the new breeding male. We are hoping that Hunter will breed with both his females this year and we have plans to introduce him to another in the future. He currently spends the day with one female and then the night with another so he is certainly kept busy."

Tapirs come into season every three weeks and can mate up to six times a day. Pregnancy lasts around 13 months so keepers face a long wait for new arrivals. The arrival of Hunter brings the number of Malayan tapirs housed at Port Lympne to six.