Tapir victim’s mum may not have signed waiver

Dublin Zoo officials have yet to clarify whether the family at the centre of a tapir attack were fully informed of the potential risks of an up-close visit with the animal.

A spokesperson for the zoo could not confirm last night if the mother signed any waiver or health and safety form before entering the animal’s enclosure with her two-year-old daughter.

It was also unclear whether specific criteria exists to assess whether young children should be allowed to enter such enclosures, or whether more stringent safety checks should take place in such circumstances.

As revealed in yesterday’s Irish Examiner, an adult female tapir called Rio badly mauled the toddler and injured her mother during a “close encounter” visit at lunchtime on Thursday.

During the attack, the girl, who is believed to be from the west of Ireland, suffered severe abdominal injuries, was left unconscious, and had muscles torn from her arm.

The two-year-old underwent extensive surgery at Temple Street Children’s Hospital on Thursday and is now in a “stable” condition at the facility.

She and her mother — who was treated for less serious wounds at the Mater Hospital — are said to be “recovering well” from their ordeal.

While it remains unclear whether the family were fully informed of the risks of the close-up visit, the lack of a waiver document could potentially spell further problems for the zoo.

The facility said that any close-up encounters with animals are decided on a case-by-case basis by “experienced keepers who have day-to-day contact with the animals and understand their behaviour and manner”.

However, in light of Thursday’s incident, Dublin Zoo has banned any such visits to animals not considered to be a significant risk — such as giraffes, penguins, and, until recently, tapirs — until an investigation into what caused the mauling takes place.

This investigation is expected to be concluded by the end of next week.

The tapir at the centre of the incident has been living at Dublin Zoo for more than two years, after being transferred from the Marwell Wildlife Park in Britain.

Officials at both the park and Dublin Zoo said they have never previously had any concerns about the animal, which is usually docile and has been involved in numerous close encounter visits in the past.

The tapir is expected to remain on location at Dublin Zoo despite the incident earlier this week.

It is understood one of the issues being examined is whether the tapir became violent due to concerns over the safety of its weeks-old calf, which was in the enclosure during the visit.