Asian tapir  (Tapirus indicus)

Widely abundant in Southern Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in the early 1930s, Asian tapir populations have since rapidly declined and now survive only as isolated populations in remote or protected areas. Habitat destruction poses the predominant threat, as a result of land being cleared for human settlement and agriculture, and rivers being dammed and land flooded for hydroelectric development (11). In Sumatra, uncontrolled illegal logging still occurs. The tapir population is strongest in Malaysia, where deforestation has greatly declined (1).

The Asian tapir is hunted for food and sport (5). Although the flesh of tapirs was previously haram (forbidden) in Muslim areas due to the species’ resemblance to pigs (9), very recent reports indicate that Muslims no longer equate the two and thus hunt them for subsistence food (6). In Thailand and Myanmar the meat is considered distasteful and some tribes believe killing a tapir brings bad luck (1). However, a flourishing Asian zoo trade has put a tempting price on the tapir’s head, with a single animal fetching up to 6,000 US dollars (9). Tapirs also occasionally get caught in steel wire snares which are set for wild pigs (2). The low reproductive rate and fragmented distribution of this species mean that populations have a low rebound potential, and this makes it particularly vulnerable to hunting (14).

Protective game laws exist in Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia, with varying success (11). In Malaysia the Asian tapir has been given total protection since 1955, under the Wild Animals and Birds Ordinance, and law enforcement has generally been effective. The use of steel wire snares has been banned here, with stiff penalties if caught. However, ongoing monitoring of the illegal tapir trade across the range of this species is crucial (2). Asian tapirs can be found in a number of protected areas, including the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary and the Khao Sok National Park in Thailand, 12 protected areas in the Western Forest Complex along the Thai-Myanmar border (1), and the Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra, which contains around 200 individuals (11). However, much of the suitable habitat that remains in Sumatra does not lie within protected areas and a large proportion of the tapir population occurs outside of reserves. Conservation efforts should not, therefore, be restricted to national parks, but should endeavour to involve the cooperation of local people across the species’ range (11).