World Tapir Day is being observed today globally. This day is crucial to raise awareness about the species of Tapir and to protect it from human encroachment.
Tapirs are large herbivorous mammals that inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. As large herbivores, tapirs are invariably the first species affected by human encroachment into their territory and amongst the last to return to regrowth forest.
They require substantial tracts of undisturbed land to maintain a genetically diverse population. They form an important part of the ecosystem as seed dispersers and form one of the oldest surviving genera in the animal kingdom.
Both the Brazilian tapir and the mountain tapir are on the list of threatened species. In addition, the Malayan tapir and the Baird’s tapir are endangered. Today, there are only 3,000 Malayan tapirs globally and 5,000 Baird’s tapirs.