A 32-year-old tapir has died at Curraghs Wildlife Park.

Thackery the tapir died ’naturally’ after being a ’long-time resident’ at the park.

A statement that was released online said: ’Thackery passed away peacefully and naturally at the age of 32 yrs and eight months. He was a lovely, gentle tapir and will be missed. Tapirs rarely reach the decade of 30, so his passing is no surprise to the Park but we will always remember him fondly as a particularly gentle tapir.’

Born in 1989 in Dudley Zoo, he came to the park here in 2002 and was one of the oldest tapirs in the park. Thackery had two calves with his previous partner Clanger who died in 2013 and in 2014 Louka, from France, gave birth to Zeus shortly after arriving to the park, who Thackery took on as his own son. He went on to father another calf with Louka called Rio.