Don't Worry: I See It, Too

"THIS JUST IN: Spotted Licorice Whatzit"
Cute Overload (March 6, 2010)



It's a young Mayala tapir. And yes, they look like that.

Kudos to the Cute Overload contributor, for including a link to the photo's source:

• "Malaya tapir introduced by San Diego Zoo (photo)"
  NatGeo News Watch blog (February 28, 2010)

That particular sort of tapir is on the Endangered Species list.

For all the silliness (remember the spotted owl, that can only nest in pure virgin forests - and K-Mart signs?) that 'save the [whatever]' has been prone to: I rather hope that the Malaya tapir makes it.

Anything that looks like a hallucination that stepped out of someone's id seems worthy of preservation: for weirdness, if nothing else.

Which brings up whether support for preserving a particular species is - or should be - dependent on how cute it is. Which is another topic, for another blog.