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
Tweet
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
Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus
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:

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Contribute in five ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here