Learn about the Malaysian tapir from these places around the country

Sungai Dusun Wildlife Conservation Centre is the sole centre in Malaysia that focuses on tapirs.

April 27 marked the 17th World Tapir Day (WTD), which is an annual celebration. According to WTD’s official website (tapirday.org), the special day was established in 2008 not only to raise awareness about the endangered animal but also to build a community around tapir conservation.

Currently, there are only four recognised extant tapir species left worldwide. Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii), Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris) and Mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) are the three species found in Central and South America. There was reportedly a new species discovered in South America, but since the Kabomani tapir’s revelation in 2013 it has yet to receive a classification of its own, as it was believed to have simply been a misidentified juvenile Brazilian tapir.