Good things come in threes! Tapir gives birth to third baby at Belgian zoo

A newborn tapir is seen next to its mother in an enclosure at Antwerp's Zoo, Belgium, August 20, 2019. Jens Schuurman/ZOO Antwerpen/Handout via REUTERS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Malayan tapir gave birth to its third baby at Antwerp Zoo in the north of Belgium last week, marking another success for the zoo which has been breeding the endangered species for 29 years.

Tapirs, identified by a light-colored patch which runs from the middle of their belly to their rear when mature, are related to horses and rhinoceroses, but resemble pigs in shape.

Eight-year-old mother Nakal's bundle of joy came after a 13-month pregnancy. Her two other offspring have been transferred to other zoos.

A newborn tapir is seen in its enclosure at Antwerp's Zoo, Belgium, August 20, 2019. Jens Schuurman/ZOO Antwerpen/Handout via REUTERS

The baby is healthy and tags along after its mother, the zoo said. It will name the baby as soon as it has determined its sex.

(Reporting by Alexandra Regida; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

A newborn tapir is seen in its enclosure at Antwerp's Zoo, Belgium, August 20, 2019. Jens Schuurman/ZOO Antwerpen/Handout via REUTERS

A newborn tapir is seen in its enclosure at Antwerp's Zoo, Belgium, August 20, 2019. Jens Schuurman/ZOO Antwerpen/Handout via REUTERS

A newborn tapir is seen next to its mother in an enclosure at Antwerp's Zoo, Belgium, August 20, 2019. Jens Schuurman/ZOO Antwerpen/Handout via REUTERS