Carnage on the Roads, Tapir Road Kill

FROM THIS

AND THIS


TO

THIS

The Carnage on the Roads of Malaysia Continues

The sickening sight of a Malayan tapir or Asian tapir (Tapirus indicus) lying motionless (see above picture) on the road side slowed the traffic to a crawl along the Kuantan to Kemaman, on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, yesterday, 15 February 2008.

The young adult Tapir, weighing an estimated 250 kg, was killed, when it was hit by a vehicle, whilst the gentle animal was attempting to cross the road.

The animal’s body had been mutilated, and it its tail, right ear and tongue were missing; some bastard had cut off these body parts after the animal was run over.

The body parts of a tapir are not known to have value either as exotic food or as ingredients for traditional medicines, but who knows what was in the tiny mind of the apology for a human being who mutilated this Malayan Tapir, which is a vulnerable endangered species

Malayan or Asian tapir.

Physical characteristics:

This species of tapir is 6 to 10 feet (1.85 to 2.50 meters) long with a tail measuring 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters). They weigh 550 to 825 pounds (250 to 375 kilograms) and have a shoulder height of 35 to 41 inches (90 to 105 centimeters). This large tapir has a black coat except for the rear half above the legs, which is white.

Geographic range:

Malayan tapirs are found in Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Classification

Order: Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates)

Family: Tapiridae (tapirs)

Genus: Tapirus (tapirs)

Status

Classified as Vulnerable (VU A2c+3c+4c) on the IUCN Red List 2004, and listed on Appendix I of CITES .

Habitat:

Malayan tapirs live in the lowland forests of swamps and mountains up to an elevation of 6,560 feet (2,000 meters). This species needs a permanent water source with plenty of water for drinking and bathing. Highest populations are found in swamps and lowland forests.

Widely abundant in Southern Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in the early 1930s, Asian tapir populations have 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.

In Sumatra, uncontrolled illegal logging still occurs.

The tapir population is strongest in Malaysia, where deforestation had declined somewhat in the recent past, however the cutting of virgin forests for hardwood logs has increased in the past few years, so the habitat of the Malayan tapir is becoming severely threatened once again..

The Asian tapir is hunted both for food and for sport. Although the flesh of tapirs was previously forbidden (haram) to Muslims areas due to the species' resemblance to pigs , very recent reports indicate that Muslims no longer equate the two and thus more people hunt them for subsistence food.

In Thailand and Myanmar the meat is considered distasteful and some tribes believe killing a tapir brings bad luck.

However, a flourishing Asian zoo trade has put a tempting price on the tapir's head, with a single animal fetching up to US$ 6,000.

Tapirs also occasionally get trapped in steel wire snares set for wild boars.

Low reproductive rate, coupled with fragmented distribution of Malayan tapirs mean that populations have a low recovery potential, and this makes the species particularly vulnerable when they are hunted or trapped, or are killed when crossing roads and highways.

Roads and Highways in Malaysia and other countries in Asia do not provide alternative crossing paths (tunnels or bridges) for wildlife to use to enable them to cross safely. Road kill is common, the victims apart apart from tapir, include, wildlife such as replitles, primates, small, medium and large mammals, and of course many types of domesticated animals and pets.

Is life, even human life, considered to be so cheap?

The relentless carnage on the roads and highways in Malaysia clearly indicates this may be true.

My post Carnage on Malaysia's Roads can be found here.

Pura Vida!