CHUKAI, Oct 23 — An adult female tapir was found dead after it was believed to have been hit by a four-wheel-drive vehicle at KM 299.5 of the East Coast Expressway 2 (LPT2), near Kijal here, this morning.

Terengganu Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) director Dennis Ten Choon Yung said the department received information about the incident from the LPT2 management at 8am before four officers from the Kemaman district office were dispatched to the scene an hour later to investigate and conduct an inspection.

He said the inspection found that the 200-kilogramme tapir suffered head injuries, several abrasions on its body and a fractured left hind leg, believed to have been caused by the collision.

“The tapir carcass was disposed of after the inspection was completed,” he said in a statement today.

Dennis said the Bukit Kambing Forest Reserve was the nearest forest reserve to the scene, located about seven kilometres from where the tapir was found.

He also advised highway users to observe speed limits and pay attention to wildlife crossing warning signs to prevent similar incidents from recurring. — Bernama