Last week, we told you about April the Tapir, the iconic animal who became the standard bearer for the Zoo. Indeed, she was a big girl, but also a gentle giant, who only wanted good company and good food.
And it seems she left a big impression. In the 4 days since she passed the Belize Zoo has been and continues to be flooded with notes of condolenc and well-wishing.
Today, we spoke with the Zoo's founding director, Sharon Matola, and she told us about finally realizing just how many people April influenced in her lifetime. We set her interview to shots of the ageless April through the years:..
Sharon Matola, Founding Director - Belize Zoo
"It took me by surprise. We had over 45,000 people follow what happen with April on Facebook. We had over 1,000 response on Facebook and I had to actually turn my phone off because I just getting calls and texts."
"All of them reflected - people reminiscing about April and how they grew up with her and how they brought their children to meet her. I had no idea the size of the response, how far reaching it would be. She touched a lot of people and I understand why because we have to 
remember that was back in the early 80s when there were no zoo, no wildlife center, there was no place people could get in touch with the wonderful animals of this country."
"April was the first animal ambassador in Belize and she turned heard around about the magic of her species and I will always love her for that."
April was 30 years-old when she passed away; she managed to exceed her life expectancy by 5 years.
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