Please Help Tapirs

It is common knowledge that the illegal trade in tiger bones and body parts poses a grave threat to the remaining populations of Asia’s most iconic big cat. But this grisly business also has a detrimental impact on other species that have the misfortune to be caught in the crossfire.

A number of the last remaining strongholds for tigers across Asia also harbours a globally important population of the endangered Malay tapir, which is down to an estimated 2,500 adults worldwide.

Tapirs and tigers tend to favour the same network of trails through the forest, especially in the mountains. And it is here that the poachers set their lethal wire snares.

These poachers tend to be opportunists; tigers are their primary target, but if they happen to trap a different species, they won’t hesitate to sell it for bush meat. In the case of the tapir, however, the flesh is widely considered haram – forbidden – by the local population, and this animal currently has little or no value in the local traditional medicine trade – although skulls and bones may be passed off as those of rhinoceros.

A tapir in a tiger snare is, therefore, the worst possible outcome for both poacher and victim, and a fitting, if depressing, symbol of the wastefulness of this indiscriminate hunting method.

We need to stop this, for good, and save both of these wonderful creatures. To do that we need to deploy rangers to patrol out into the forests and remove snares. In doing so we can help stop the numbers from plummeting further.