Acres Explain Why a Malayan Tapir Could Have Been Roaming in Punggol

Malayan tapirs are an endangered species. 

They are rarely spotted in Singapore.

One cyclist was fortunate enough to spot one at the Punggol Park Connector on 22 July.

The last reported Malayan tapir sighting was in 2016.

Malayan Tapir spotted at Punggol Park Connector

On the morning of 22 July, Mr Richard Seah posted about spotting the Malayan tapir on Facebook group Singapore Wildlife Sightings.

He said he had seen a tapir “the size of a large pig” on the Punggol Park Connector opposite Coney Island.

He added, “It was very shy and ran off.”

Unfortunately, Mr Seah did not manage to take any photos as the incident occurred so quickly.

Furthermore, video footage from his GoPro camera was too blurry.

Fortunately, another member of the group, MC Wai, managed to get footage of the Malayan tapir.

He shared the photo and video in the comment section of Mr Seah’s post. 

Furthermore, he said he had already reported the sighting to the National Parks Board at 1 am.

The Video

The video’s quality initially starts grainy but manages to focus on the Malayan tapir a few seconds in.

The tapir’s rear end can be seen trotting along the path.

At one point, it turns its head slightly and appears to notice the person filming.

The tapir proceeds to veer off into the bushes along the right of the path.

It continues trotting within the vegetation.

Another Facebook group member, Daryl, posted a few photos of the tapir’s footprints.

He wrote, “Until the Malayan tapir decides to grace us with its presence once more, I guess we will have to settle for just its prints now.”

Response to Sighting

Co-CEO of Acres Kalai Vanan Balakrishnan told The Straits Times that the Acres wildlife rescue team had received a call about the sighting.

However, the tapir “fortunately entered back into the sea and hopefully found a suitable habitat in its native range”.

He said, “We hope that the tapir will find its way back or that it will be repatriated back if it’s caught.”

According to Acres, the animal likely swam to Singapore.

Netizens have similar ideas as to how the tapir got to Punggol.

One Facebook user wrote, “Tapirs are excellent swimmers, and there was once a tapir spotted at Changi, so it could be that the tapir swam across [the sea] as the south of Malaysia has heavy deforestation.”

Another user pointed out, “If it’s [the tapir] is on Coney Island, then likely it’s a wild boar. There’s no wild tapir in Singapore unless one decides to take a swim from Johor.”

Malayan Tapir Facts

According to the Tapir Specialist Group’s website, Malayan tapirs are found throughout the Malayan Peninsula.

However, deforestation is a significant threat to their survival.

Malayan tapirs are more active at night.

It is estimated that there are less than 2,500 Malayan tapirs left.

Previous Sightings of Malayan Tapirs in Singapore

The last reported sighting of a Malayan tapir occurred on 24 June 2016.

It was spotted in Changi.

Mr Marcus Chua, Museum Officer for Mammal Biodiversity at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the time of the 2016 sighting, told The Straits Times that tapirs are not found in Singapore.

Thus, the tapir probably swam over from southern Johor.

He added, “It could be looking for new territory or pushed out of habitat because of development.”

He noted that a tapir sighting is “extremely rare” in Singapore.

Before the 2016 sighting, the last sighting of a Malayan tapir in Singapore was in 1986.

The tapir was seen at Pulau Ubin.

What to do When Encountering a Wild Animal

Acres’ website states that when encountering a native wild animal in Singapore, it’s best to leave it be.

After all, removing wild animals from their natural habitat is punishable by law in Singapore.

However, if the animal is injured or in distress, call the Acres Wildlife Rescue Hotline on 97837782 and describe the animal, its injuries, and any other animals nearby.

While Malayan tapirs are rarely spotted in Singapore, they are more commonly sighted in Malaysia.

A few posts on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group depict tragic incidents where Malayan tapirs accidentally get knocked down by cars.

On Reddit, netizens have expressed their well-wishes for the tapir, hoping it stays safe.