300kg male tapir killed while crossing road in Dungun

This is the third case of a tapir being killed in Terengganu in the last three months.

Terengganu wildlife and national parks department (Perhilitan) director Loo Kean Seong said two of his men took the tapir’s carcass for disposal. (Perhilitan pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 A male tapir died after it was hit by a car in Dungun, Terengganu last night.

The 300kg tapir was hit while crossing the road at Km8, Jalan Bandar Al-Mukhtafi Billah Shah-Paka, in Kampong Santong, while it was heading for the nearby forest at 10pm, Bernama reported.

According to Terengganu wildlife and national parks department (Perhilitan) director Loo Kean Seong, the department was alerted to the incident early this morning.

“An examination found signs of injury on the tapir’s head and body. Two Perhilitan personnel then took the tapir’s carcass for disposal,” he was quoted as saying.

Loo said the tapir was believed to have been hit by a Volkswagen car driven by a 49-year-old teacher.

This is the third case of a tapir being killed in Terengganu in the last three months.

On Jan 24, a 200kg tapir was hit by a motorcycle at Km320.5 of the East Coast Highway 2 (LPT2) after exiting Kerteh, Kemaman, at 1am. The 19-year-old motorcyclist also died at the scene.

Prior to that, on Dec 26, a 250kg male tapir was found dead in Kemaman after it was believed to have been hit by a vehicle on the Jalan Kuala Terengganu-Kuantan road.

Last April, the natural resources and environmental sustainability ministry had reported that a total of 112 Malayan tapirs were killed in road accidents nationwide between 2020 and 2024.

The report also cited data from Perhilitan that showed only about 700 to 800 Malayan tapirs remain in their natural habitats. - FMT