Cristina The Honduran Tapir Moves To A New Home In Houston

Donation Part of Dinant's Successful Tapir Breeding Program

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Dec 09, 2014, 10:26 ET

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Dec. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cristina - a Tapir born and raised at Dinant's Center for Wildlife Conservation at Farallones in Honduras – has moved to a new home at Houston Zoo to become a Wildlife Ambassador of Honduras. Part of Corporacion Dinant's highly successful endangered indigenous species breeding program – which includes jaguars, red macaw, white tail deer and green iguana, many of which are released into the wild – Cristina left Honduras last week under the close supervision of Dinant's resident biologist, Olvin Andino, who flew with her from San Pedro Sula to Houston.

Cristina, Dinant's Wildlife Ambassador of Honduras

Olvin Andino, said, "Miguel Facusse, the founder and Executive President of Dinant, has long been passionate about protecting the biodiversity of the Central American region. Through Dinant's extensive breeding programs, our conservation of over 7,200 hectares of tropical rainforest in Honduras, and our significant investments in environmental programs at our African Palm plantations and product manufacturing facilities, we are playing a considerable role in preserving the riches of Honduran flora and fauna for future generations."

Under the guidance of Joseph Flanagan and Alberto Mendoza of the World Tapir Specialist Group and John Register, Veterinarian and Mammalian Supervisor at Houston Zoo, Cristina will soon be introduced to Noah, a tapir of Costa Rican and Panamanian descent, to begin a new genetic lineage.

Mr. Andino continued, "The largest mammal in Central America, tapirs (Tapirus bairdii) are also under great threat of extinction. Cristina is our gift to the many thousands of people who will visit her at Houston Zoo; but she is also of significant importance to the future of her species. We have no doubt that she will be very happy at her new home in Houston Zoo."

Dinant makes significant investments in its environmental and conservation programs. We rigidly benchmark ourselves against the principles of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil concerning the economic, environmental and social impact of our African Palm oil business; the sustainability of our supplies; and our engagement with local stakeholders. Our use of home-produced organic fertilizers has enabled us to reduce chemical fertilization in the Aguan region by 30%. We invest heavily in R&D to produce high-yield varieties of African Palm that can be harvested more easily and require less land. As part of ongoing efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, we have constructed a high-tech biogas recovery unit at our plantation in Aguan (with others planned in Lean) that supplies clean energy to our self-sufficient oil extraction mill and other businesses in the region. One pleasing sign of the increasing health of our African Palm plantations is the steady rise in the numbers of jaguars spilling over from our nature reserves and onto our plantations due to our organic practices providing wild animals with better nutrition, shelter and wildlife corridors.

About Corporacion Dinant
Corporacion Dinant is a family-owned consumer products manufacturer founded in Honduras by Miguel Facusse in 1960. Our products are sold throughout Central America and the Dominican Republic, and exported to global markets. Dinant employs almost 8,000 people, directly supporting over 22,000 livelihoods, generating many millions of US dollars in exports for the Honduran economy, and contributing significantly to the economies of all countries in which we operate.

As part of our adherence to the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Dinant has removed all firearms from security men and women at all plantations and factories. Dinant is modernizing its Community Engagement Program through such initiatives as stakeholder surveys, formal grievance mechanisms and placing social workings in local communities.

CORPORATE RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
Media contact: Roger Pineda, [email protected], t: +(504) 2239-8800

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SOURCE Corporacion Dinant