92 tapirs killed in road accidents over five years

The increasing number of Malayan Tapir deaths due to road accidents, involving 24 animals last year alone, is worrying, said Energy and Natural Resources Minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah.

He said a total of 92 Malayan Tapirs were reported killed due to road accidents in Johor, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Selangor and Terengganu over a five year period since 2015.

“It is sad because the Malayan Tapir population is now increasingly threatened due to habitat loss, forest fragmentation and falling victims to traps and road accidents,” he said in a message in conjunction with World Tapir Day, which is celebrated on April 27 every year.

The Malayan Tapir is a fully protected wildlife under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 and an endangered species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and Redlist of Mammals for Peninsular Malaysia 2017.

In an effort to increase its population in Peninsular Malaysia, Shamsul Anuar said the Wildlife and National Parks (Department) has carried out a captive breeding programme at the Sungai Dusun Wildlife Conservation Centre (PKHL) in Selangor.

He said there are currently 11 Malayan Tapirs at the Sungai Dusun PKHL with an average of one birth a year.

Apart from that, he said the ministry is also committed to intensifying the in-situ and ex-situ conservation of Malayan Tapirs to ensure the survival of the unique species.

The Wildlife Department has also embarked on a strategic cooperation with Nagasaki Biopark, in Japan, in the conservation of Malayan Tapirs, he added.

- Bernama

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