This Saturday, April 27, marks International Tapir Day. A day in which to give visibility to the threatened situation in which this curious animal finds itself. At the moment, Four species of tapir live on our planet and all of them are in danger of extinction. One of them, the Malayan tapir, can be admired at BIOPARC Fuengirola, the only conservation center in Spain that works to protect it. Since 2003 it has been part of the Endangered Species Program for the Malayan tapir coordinated by EAZA.

a prehistoric animal

Despite its large size and the fact that it has existed for millions of years, today its Survival depends on the preservation of its natural habitat and the conservation work carried out in centers such as Bioparc Fuengirola. In the case of the Malayan tapir, its appearance is totally different from that of its sister subspecies. Totally different from the appearance of its sister subspecies, It has existed for more than 50 million years and counts the horse and the rhinoceros as close relatives.

Its greatest threat: humans

The Malayan tapir was first listed as “endangered” in 1986, due to a continuing decline caused by the loss of available habitat, fragmentation of remaining habitat, and increasing hunting pressure. According to estimates made by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in the last 30 years, its population has decreased by 50%.

Human action has caused the destruction of its natural environment, to which poaching is added. Tapir babies have a high market value smuggled and its skin is highly valued.

Today there are just over two thousand specimens left, 45 of them in zoos that work to protect them.

It is an endangered species and today there are only a few left. more than two thousand specimens, 45 of them in zoos who work to protect it through a conservation program created expressly for this species. In this EEP belonging to the EAZA, a total of 23 zoos participate, among which is Bioparc Fuengirola; the only animal center in Spain within the program.

The forecasts for the Malayan tapir are not good. If the trend continues to decline, this species could disappear in the next twenty years.

Currently, BIOPARC Fuengirola houses Mekong and Rawa, a pair of Malayan tapirs formed this past year and between which several reproductive approaches have occurred. Behaviors that, whether successful or not, represent a victory for the conservation of this species, taking into account the peculiar behaviors and solitary habits of the tapir.

BIOPARC Fuengirola continues working on the reproduction of this scarce species, with the hope of being able to contribute to increasing its effective numbers in the near future. The babies show a beautiful speckled coat that helps them go unnoticed among the vegetation of their original habitat in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand, until they are one year old. If the team at this park finally manages to reproduce this pair, it will become the first time it has happened in Spain.