Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus

Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus

Endangered

Indonesia (Sumatera); Malaysia; Myanmar; Thailand

Malayan #Tapirs are gorgeous creatures living in #Sumatra #Myanmar #Thailand #Indonesia they are endangered by palmoil #deforestation @IUCNredlist. We can protect them when we make supermarket choices #Boycott4Wildlife

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Population declines are estimated to have been greater than 50% in the past three generations (36 years) driven primarily by large scale conversion of tapir habitat to palm oil plantations and other human dominated land-use. The main reason for declines in the past is habitat conversion, with large tracts land being converted into palm oil plantations. However, increasingly as other large ‘prey” species decline in the area hunters are beginning to look towards tapir as a food source.

iucn RED lIST

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The Malayan Tapir is restricted to tropical moist forest areas and occurs in both primary and secondary forest and wetland areas. The more seasonal climate in northern Myanmar, northern (= most of non-peninsula) Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam and Cambodia and the harsher dry season of the forest (even in evergreen areas, excepting the eastern flanks and adjacent Vietnamese lowlands of the Annamite chain) there is likely to be the main reason this species is not found there. The Malay Tapir is also predominantly found in the lowlands and the lower montane zone in some parts of the range, although they remain common to the highest peaks in their Thai range (Steinmetz et al. 2008).

They are also recorded frequently above 1,600 m in Taman Negara National Park and Krau Wildlife Reserve, Malaysia, as well as at 2,000 m in Kerinci Sebelat National Park, Sumatra (Holden et al. 2003).

The main reason for declines in the past is habitat conversion, with large tracts land being converted into palm oil plantations. However, increasingly as other large ‘prey” species decline in the area hunters are beginning to look towards tapir as a food source.

Further Information

Traeholt, C., Novarino, W., bin Saaban, S., Shwe, N.M., Lynam, A., Zainuddin, Z., Simpson, B. & bin Mohd, S. 2016. Tapirus indicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T21472A45173636. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T21472A45173636.en. Downloaded on 04 February 2021.

Help conservation for this creature:

Malay Conservation Project

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