WITH the rise of urbanisation in Malaysia, human-wildlife encounters are becoming increasingly common and in many cases this has led to road accidents.
It was said recently that a tapir was killed near Jempol, Negri Sembilan when it was trying to cross a road.
Is this true?
VERDICT:
TRUE
A male tapir was killed after it was hit by two vehicles while crossing the road along Jalan Bukit Rokan Barat near here.
Jempol police chief Supt Hoo Chang Hook said the tapir is estimated to be five years old and weighing about 200kg and was killed instantly in the 10pm accident on Monday (Sept 30).
He said based on initial investigations, the 19-year-old driver of a sports utility vehicle was heading to Pahang from Melaka when he crashed into the tapir as it tried 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 street lights along the stretch and added that both drivers escaped injuries.
He said the carcass of the tapir 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).
