A MAGNIFICENT ENCOUNTER with a Wild Tapir

Stories

A face to face encounter with a wild Tapir

Photographing the wildlife

When photographing wildlife in the AmazonRainforest, much preparation and hard work are needed to get the pictures you want. You need to know what you want to shoot and determine the best way to capture it with the equipment at your disposal. This often requires knowledge of the subject’s behavior and natural history. However, sometimes the best shots are those that come with pure luck like this face-to-face encounter with a wild tapir.

While in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest in the National Reserve of Tambopata, I wanted to photograph and document many species and interactions between organisms. I was particularly interested in the gruesome lifecycle of the cordyceps fungus.

This insect-parasite deposits one of its spores on its insect host, it germinates and takes control of the insect’s nervous system, eventually killing it and feeding on it to grow and develop into adult cordyceps. I had recently spotted a patch of grass on a dried-up riverbed where hundreds of ants had succumbed to this deadly fungus.

Cordy fungus

     An unfortunate victims of the Cordyceps fungus

An incredible Wild Tapir Encounter

It was around 2 pm and I had returned to this spot to get some close-up shots of this interaction. I had only brought my 90mm macro lens to keep my rucksack light (in 98% humidity, heavy loads are a real drag). After a 30-minute walk through the jungle, I arrived at the spot where the fungus was and started snapping away.

After about 35 minutes I start to hear grunting noises in the forest. It sounds like something is moving leaf litter around. I often see peccaries (a type of wild pig) in this area so I assume a couple of them are foraging for food and ignore them, focusing instead on my ant-eating fungus. But the noises are getting louder and louder: the peccaries must be getting closer, I think!

Suddenly, I see a crazy-looking insect resembling nothing I have ever seen! Just as I’m about to snap it, bushes rustle right in front of me. I am startled: the cool-looking insect had distracted me from the surrounding noises! Slowly I catch a glimpse of a large animal that slowly emerges from the bushes…

I still think the culprit is a peccary, and it is getting closer… The shape of the animal becomes a bit clearer as it continues to emerge from the vegetation. It is not a peccary, only something much bigger and gray looking! I see an oddly shaped nose and…. Oh my! A fully-grown tapir (Tapirus terrestris), on the dried-up river bed, only 10 meters away from me, staring straight at me! I get a rush of excitement: I have never seen a tapir; they are very shy and more difficult to spot than the jaguar, and it is even rarer to spot them inside the rainforest. The few sightings are normally from a boat along the river.

What a learned that day…

During my stay at the jungle ecolodges of Rainforest Expeditions. Their field guides working there had told me that tapirs posed no threat to humans, as they are strictly vegetarian and generally non-aggressive.

BOOK: TAMBOPATA RESEARCH CENTER

So, I start shooting with my macro lens. I wish I had brought a longer lens to get closer to my subject. But this soon stops being an issue: the tapir starts walking towards me! It is moving slowly and cautiously, but it continues approaching. Tapirs may be placid, but this one is massive, and I start to get a bit nervous. Tapirs are renowned for their poor eyesight, maybe this one hasn’t seen me?

What if it gets a fright and charges at me? Animals can be unpredictable. With these thoughts going through my head, I try to remain calm and keep snapping. The tapir is getting so close that it is almost filling my camera frame! It is now five meters away. I try to remain calm, silent, and composed and continue taking photos.

Three meters! My camera frame is now too small for the 300kg, ice-age-like prehistoric-looking mammal.

Two meters! I take a couple more shots and put my camera down, ready to jump out of its way. I am looking right at him, we are at the same eye level as I am crouched down.

Tapir among the bushes

Face to face with a Tapir

Tapir by Louis Guillot in Tambopata Peru

Encounter with a wild Tapir in the rainforest

Time seems to freeze

The tapir gets even closer, it is now one meter away, having a staring contest with me. I am not exaggerating, I can smell its breath, and it is not very pleasant. Then… the tapir stops. Both stationary we lock eyes for about ten seconds. What a magical moment.

Encounter with wild tapir at night

Wild Tapir walking at night – Photo by Paul Bertner

After the pause, the tapir walks right past me, sniffs my bag, and disappears into the forest gracefully. I am left dumbfounded as to what has just happened. I find it amazing that such a large mammal can creep on you without being seen and then disappear into the jungle just as quickly. The tapir is a truly elusive and awesome animal. It was an unforgettable encounter with wild tapir.

When you have the opportunity to visit the Peruvian Amazon jungle to make wildlife photography, you must ensure that to have an experience like this (wild tapir encounter), the location of the place you visit is the most appropriate to maximize your options to see more wildlife.

The Rainforest Expeditions lodges are strategically located within a private reserve such as Posada Amazonas, with an extensive portion of the Tambopata National Reserve at their back as Refugio Amazonas or even within the Tambopata National Reserve and facing the Bahuaja Sonene National Park as the Tambopata Research Center.

Also, make sure that the tour operator you take has responsible practices with the place and its local population.

Can’t stop reading stories about the fascinating tapir, do not miss the following blog:

Embracing the Charm and Conservation of Tapirs in Tambopata

By Louis Guillot

I am a wildlife photographer studying zoology at the University of Bristol, UK. In 2016-17, I worked on a research project on parasitic wasps at the London Natural History Museum, reporting to the Head of Entomology, Dr. Gavin Broad. In summer 2017, I volunteered for the Tambopata Macaw Project and fell in love with the area. I took many photos during my time as a volunteer and learned much about jungle life. Also, I was sponsored by GoPro and shot videos and photos for them, which feature on my Instagram page. 

You can follow my jungle stories on my Instagram page: louis_guillot (https://www.instagram.com/louis_guillot/). 

See my photos on my online portfolio: https://louisguillot.smugmug.com/

Contact me here: louisjmguillot@gmail.com 

Keep an eye out for my next blogs.

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This trip was the highlight of our travels through peru. The lodge was absolutely 5 stars for everything. The room, food, people. We had a private guide, Allen, who grew up locally and really had deep knowledge of the land, the history, and the variety of plant and animal species in the jungle. His knowledge and passion were invaluable to our experience. There are a variety of tour companies and lodges you can book to visit the Amazon, however, I would only recommend Rainforest Expeditions as they are truly connected to the community and offer high quality first class amazon experience! Read all

We had a truly wonderful stay with Rainforest Expeditions. Everyone was incredibly kind and welcoming, and our guide was fantastic — very knowledgeable and passionate about the rainforest. We saw many animals, even from the boat, which made the experience unforgettable. Read all

I just spent 3 days here with my family. The research center surpassed all our expectations. I want to give a special shout out to Carlos who took such good care of us. He went above and beyond to make sure we werr comfortable. And he was always smiling. He made us feel so welcome. We had Erik as our guide who is so knowledgeable and experienced. We learned so much, saw so much wildlife. It really was a dream vacation. Thank you!! Read all

Chose this place to stay at the Amazon, as I heard it benefits the local indigenous community. Life changing experience. Oscar was an excellent guide! We saw so many wildlife! No 4th wall made it such an immersive jungle experience. Since they are eco friendly, there is no AC. It can get pretty hot depending on the season. So better to follow their guidance for clothing choices Read all

If you want to experience the Amazon in all its glory This is the place to come to Staff and guides were excellent Food was just incredible The forest walks were really interesting and informative Read all

If you are a birder, ask for Juan Carlos Yatto. He recognizes an astounding number of bird calls and can duplicate many of them. This place is magical, all I could have imagined. All the staff and scientists are incredible. The experience of a lifetime. Read all

This was the most amazing experience Very well organised The ground staff were so well organised The guides were excellent ( I’m looking at you Carlos!) Food was tasty and very varied Amazed that the chefs managed to get such variety in the middle of the Amazon Do not hesitate Book immediately you will not be disappointed. Highly recommended Read all

I can not say enough good things about my time at the Tambopata Research Center. Between the guides, the boat drivers, the chefs, the staff, the bartenders, the researchers, etc. Everyone was absolutely wonderful! If you are interested in viewing wildlife in the Amazon, this is the place for you! A special thank you to the maître d' Carlos who was so incredibly kind and hospitable and our guide Dino who was like a real life Indiana Jones. I can't wait to come back! Read all

An unforgettable, fully immersive jungle experience. Amazing how Tambopata Lodge delivers luxury touches in such a remote and rugged location. The food is fantastic, the staff incredible, and the wildlife sightings non-stop. The personalised itinerary and one-on-one guiding made the trip truly special—huge thanks to our guide Johan for sharing his passion and knowledge. The Macaw Project is inspiring, and it’s clear the lodge fully supports this important conservation work. Manager Brian was always kind, helpful. Well-done all involved. Read all

The most important fact we are grateful for is the true sense of understanding of the ecology of the Amazon the staff at Rainforest Expeditions (RFE) have shown us. RFE stands out for its stand against the pure, profit-motive initiatives many other tour operators do. We are very grateful to have had Carlos as our guide. Carlos is deeply dedicated, and is able to explain the nuances of the flora and fauna. The world today needs to act as one against the impact of climate change. RFE is one, bright shining light in this regard. Read all

We had a fabulous trip! The people were amazing, kind and very professional. The food was exceptionally good! The facilities are beautiful and well kept. We just loved our second time with Rainforest Expeditions and can't wait to go again!! Read all

Fantastic to be deep in the forest surrounded by incredible wildlife with our amazing guide Juan Carlos Yatto, who really knew his stuff! Also his photography skills meant that we could share our experience even better through his telescope using our phone cameras! We learned so much!! He went to extra lengths to find butterflies and moths for us along with so many different birds and monkeys. This was a travel highlight for us as experienced wildlife travellers. We loved our spacious room with no windows and open to more wildlife visitors but after 5 nights the bed could have been a little more comfortable. Luckily we had a second bed to use. Otherwise it was fantastic with hot water showers and fresh drinking water all the time. We were amazed at the variety of food on offer for breakfast, lunch and dinner and couldn’t believe they could have such a wonderful food offering in such a remote location. Even the wine and cocktails were great. I highly recommend spending the extra money and time getting to this location. We stayed at another lodge later which was closer to Puerto Maldonado and there was far less wildlife. Read all

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