JOHOR BARU, April 7 ― A male tapir was found dead, believed to have been hit by a heavy vehicle at Jalan Sedili-Tenggaroh, near Kota Tinggi, yesterday.
Johor Wildlife and National Park (Perhilitan) director Salman Saaban said the carcass of the tapir, weighing 250 kilogrammes, was found at about 10.40am following a report from passers-by.
“The tapir was believed to have been run over by a heavy vehicle as we did not find any vehicle fragments at the scene. The incident is believed to have occurred last night or early today,” he said in a statement today.
He said the morphological measurements of the carcass were taken before it was buried in a nearby area.
Salman said the incident involving a tapir was the second in the state over less than two weeks.
On March 27, a male tapir weighing 300 kilogrammes was found dead, believed to have been hit by a vehicle at Jalan Mersing-Jemaluang near the Mersing Industrial Training Institute, he added.
Salman said last year alone, seven tapirs were found dead, believed to have been hit by vehicles, with six of them in January and February.
As such, he advised motorists to exercise caution when driving in areas of wild animal crossing, with sign boards having been put up to alert road users. ― Bernama
