Animal killed in car accident while crossing road
JEMPOL: A male tapir was killed after it was hit by two vehicles while crossing Jalan Bukit Rokan Barat near here.
Jempol police chief Supt Hoo Chang Hook said the endangered animal, estimated to be five years old and weighing about 200kg, was killed instantly in the 10pm accident on Monday.
Based on initial investigations, a 19-year-old driver of a sports utility vehicle, who was heading to Pahang from Melaka, crashed into the tapir when the animal was trying to cross the road.
“The driver applied the brakes but could not stop in time and hit the tapir.
“The SUV then dragged the tapir and hit a four-wheel drive vehicle coming from the opposite direction and landed in a ditch,” he said in a statement.
Supt Hoo said there were no streetlights along the stretch. Both drivers were uninjured.
The tapir’s carcass was handed over to the Wildlife and National Parks Department in Gemas to be disposed of. The case is being investigated under rule 10 of the Traffic Rules 1959.
In Malaysia, tapirs are protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2020 (Act 716).
