Tapir 'checks in' at Melaka hotel

MELAKA: A Malayan Tapir caused a stir when it turned up as an uninvited guest at a hotel here.

Hatten Hotel Worldwide group general manager Datuk Chuck Kassim said the animal was roaming around the Estadia Hotel at Bandar Hilir and was spotted by a guest on Sunday (Jan 1).

"It was truly a New Year's surprise for all of us at the Hatten Group," he said on Sunday.

A Melaka Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the tapir was sedated by game rangers from the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) at about noon and officials from the Melaka Zoo were also present.

The Malayan Tapir (tapirus indicus), also called the Asian Tapir, is a species native to the Malay peninsula and Sumatra.

It has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2008, with a total population of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals.