Six tapirs become roadkill victim in less than two months
JOHOR BAHRU: Less than two months ago, the people were shocked to learn that six tapirs had become victims of roadkill in several hotspots near jungle in Johor despite the warning signages in those areas.
Moving forward, the concern over the possible extinction of these mammals should be addressed primarily by considering the important role these animals play in preserving the ecology of the forest itself.
This is the opinion of ZoologiMY liaison officer Nor Arlina Amirah Ahmad Ghani. ZoologiMY is a group of wildlife conservationists who have made significant efforts to preserve and conserve the environment and wildlife in Malaysia as well as run public-awareness programmes.
She said the tapir can be categorised as a keystone species, meaning it plays a unique and crucial role in the way an ecosystem function.
“Without this species, the ecology of the forest will be disrupted. The tapir acts as a seed disperser.
“The seeds of fruits which a tapir eats its main diet are dispersed during the eating process or through its faeces. This species also helps to shape and structure the forest,” she said in an interview with Bernama.
Nor Arlina Amirah, who is also engaged in wildlife (tiger) conservation and wildlife crime prosecution, said a serious loss of tapirs can cause disruption of the forest ecosystem.
“When there is a decline in the number of seed dispersers like the tapirs, there will be a decrease in the diversity of tree species in the forest,” said the holder of a BSc in Computer Science (Bioinformatics) and a PhD (Biosciences) from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
She explained that the greatest threat to wildlife in Malaysia, especially the tapir, is habitat loss.
“Loss of habitat due to deforestation caused by logging and uncontrolled development will render this animal homeless and it will begin to invade human areas.
“Poaching is also a major issue, not only for the tapir but also other species of animals,” she said.
Nor Arlina Amirah said that while there is public awareness among Malaysians of the importance of wildlife, it should go together with the best practices that the people can adopt.
“For example, slowing down the vehicle at wildlife crossings, reporting poaching to the Wildlife and National Parks Department, contributing to NGOs engaged in wildlife conservation and such,” she said.
According to her, the challenges ZoologiMY is up against is to correct some people’s thinking about some species of animals that are said to damage crops and encroach into the human habitat.
“Therefore, it is very important for us to ensure that all development has to be planned so that wildlife and human beings can live in harmony with each other,” she said.
She also explained that ZoologiMY acts as a platform to give a voice to wildlife by highlighting issues, providing information and disseminating information from NGOs and other conservation activists to the public on wildlife in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Johor Department of Wildlife and National Parks director Salman Saaban provided a grim picture of the tapir population in the state when he said roadkill will be a major cause for their numbers to dwindle over the next five to 10 years.
He said that this year alone, Johor recorded six tapir roadkill, all occurring in a period of less than two months, from Jan 5 to Feb 25.
Between 2015 and the end of last year, 14 tapirs became victims of roadkill, he said.
Bernama
