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| Common Name: | Malayan tapir | Family: | Tapiridae |
| Latin Name: | Tapirus indicus | Diet: | Herbivore |
| Type: | Mammal | Habitat: | Tropical rainforests |
| Native To: | Asia | Social Unit: | Individual |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Endangered |
Malayan tapirs at Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo has two adult Malayan tapirs. The male, Ka, was born in 2003 and came to us from Dortmund Zoo at the end of November 2004. Just before Christmas 2004, we received a female tapir from London Zoo. Her name is Sayang, which means “love” in Malaysian. She was born in October 2003.
In March 2007, Sayang gave birth to a son, who was named Vasan. Vasan was the first Malayan tapir to be born in Scotland. The name Vasan was chosen as it is a common boy’s name in Malaysia. In June 2008 Vasan left for the Rare Species Conservation Centre in Kent.
In September 2008, Sayang gave birth again, this time to a daughter. She was named Indah, which is Malaysian for “beautiful.” Indah left the Zoo for another collection in 2009.
In April 2010, Sayang had another male calf named Kamal, which is Malaysian for "perfection." You can currently see baby Kamal at Edinburgh Zoo.
Baby tapir Kamal, born at Edinburgh Zoo in April 2010
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
The tapir enclosure can be found on the far west edge of the park, just west of the Education Centre.
Malayan tapirs in the wild
The Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), also known as the Asian tapir, is the largest of the four tapir species. It is found in the rainforests of Burma, Malaysia, Sumatra and Thailand.
The tapir is related to the horse and to the rhinoceros. It is an “odd-toed” ungulate (meaning a hoofed mammal), having four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot. Each toe ends in a hoof.
The Malayan tapir has distinctive markings, with a black head and legs and a whitish “saddle” of hair that extends from their front shoulders to its rump. Its ears are also tipped with white. Adult Malayan tapirs generally weigh between 250 – 320 kg (550 – 704 lb), although they can grow larger, and measure 1.8 – 2.4 m (6 – 8 feet) in length. Female tapirs are typically larger than males.
Tapirs are mainly browsers, feeding on leaves and shoots and aquatic vegetation. They also occasionally graze on crops.
Malayan tapirs are threatened throughout their range. The Malayan tapir population has been severely fragmented and is in serious decline, mainly due to large-scale deforestation, growing farming operations and uncontrolled illegal logging; however, they are also threatened by increasing pressure from hunting. Although total population size in the wild is uncertain, the Malayan tapir faces such dire threats that he species has been classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Endangered. This means that the species is considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
Breeding programme catgegory: EEP
IUCN Red List category: Endangered
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