Guest guest Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/9/16/features/6064989 & sec=f\ eatures ________________________ Tuesday September 16, 2003 Strange and elusive Stories by HILARY CHIEW Reports that the tapir is still relatively abundant in Malaysian forests is good news but will the numbers of this little-studied animal stay that way? TAPIRS always show up in our field surveys,” declares Abd Kadir Hashim confidently. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) officer says sightings and footprints are almost certain in monthly survey trips carried out by rangers. Such data has led the department to conclude that the animal is plentiful in peninsula forests. It is the third most abundant large angulate after wild boars and barking deers. Across the Straits of Malacca, Indonesian researchers in the Kerinchi Seblat National Park in western Sumatra reports that tapirs are relatively common there as well. Indonesia and Malaysia remain the two range countries of the Malay tapir (Tapirus indicus) with records of frequent sightings. The seemingly healthy status of the Malay tapir, however, works against the species & #8217; long-term survival. It fails to gain rightful attention and ranks low as a species to be conserved. Although tapirs were described 184 years ago, basic facts such as their population and distribution remain unknown. Recognising this, the Tapir Specialist Group (TSG) of the World Conservation Union (better known by its French acronym IUCN) held the first Malay Tapir Conservation Workshop at the Krau Wildlife Reserve in Lanchang, Pahang, last month. TSG is one of 120 specialist groups under the Species Survival Commission of IUCN. TSG is dedicated to studying and managing the four species of tapir and their habitats in Latin America and South-East Asia. TSG chairperson Patricia Medici says conservation of the Malay tapir has received little attention when compared with the three Latin American tapir species, the lowland tapir, mountain tapir and the Baird & #8217;s tapir. “The TSG has decided that it is time to prioritise this species. If it is to survive in the wild, some very serious conservation action is needed.” She adds that available information does not provide scientists with a clear view of the population status of this species in the wild and consequently, they are unable to implement appropriate conservation measures. The five-day workshop in August was attended by 30 tapir researchers and Perhilitan officials. It gathered information on the Malay tapir to establish research, management and conservation priorities for the species, explains Medici, who is the research coordinator for the lowland tapir project in Brazil. The workshop outlined six objectives: define the Malay tapir population; determine the status of tapir sub-populations; determine the threats to the tapir; define geographic areas where tapirs have a chance of long-term survival; prioritise conservation and management action; and develop a communication strategy to reach policy and decision-makers. Sidelined species In Indonesia and Thailand, recent studies using camera-trapping have confirmed the habitat of the elusive mammal, but in Malaysia, little is known of the Malay tapir. In fact, its population is unknown despite it being listed on Schedule One of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 as a totally protected animal. Such a listing generally implies that the animal is threatened and warrants protection. The neglect is because there is no specific officer for tapirs in Perhilitan. Field data on the mammal collected since 1990 has yet to be analysed. Things may get better, however. Perhilitan research and conservation division director Siti Hawa Yatim discloses that an officer has been identified for the task. She says the department is shorthanded. It has only one officer for each of these groups: tigers, rhinos, small mammals and birds. “We have written to the Public Services Department requesting for additional staff. We simply cannot cope.” Internationally, tapirs suffer from insufficient funding. Donors are inclined to support conservation of visually attractive and well-known species like tigers, elephants and rhinos. “It is hard to raise funds for the tapir largely because it is not considered a charismatic animal. Its appeal is obscured by many other high profile species in its geographical range,” laments Medici. She observes that this attitude is changing, citing the new requirement set by the American Zoo Association (AZA). Since mid-2002, AZA requires members with captive tapirs to contribute towards the species & #8217; conservation. However, Medici notes that the association & #8217;s funds were mostly channelled towards South American projects. Fortunately, the TSG found in the Copenhagen Zoo of Denmark a new sponsor, which is the main funder of the workshop as well as the year-old Malay Tapir Project undertaken with Perhilitan at the Krau Wildlife Reserve. Coordinator of the Malay tapir in the TSG Dr Nico van Strien believes that the animal that is listed as “vulnerable” by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is in a better position than other mammals. He believes a healthy population of the tapir exists for research and that bodes well for intended conservation plans. Unlike tigers and rhinos which are hunted for their purported medicinal values, tapirs do not suffer hunting pressure except for accidental captures in snares meant for other animals or when they are mistakenly shot. Usually, the animal is killed for use as bait for targeted species like tigers or is fed to dogs by hunters in Indonesia. They are not consumed as they resemble pigs which are taboo to the huge Muslim population in Indonesia and Malaysia. Conservation biologist Dr Kae Kawanishi writes in her paper Malayan Tapirs: Far from Extinction in a Malaysian Rainforest that the tapir is not popular among the Chinese, notorious for their appetite for exotic meat. “Intriguingly, many Chinese Malaysians are superstitious about this peculiar animal. They called it si-bu-xiang, translated to mean & #8216;four images and nothing is like it & #8217;. Because the tapir looks like a mix with a horse for its face, a rhino for its hooves, an elephant for its nose and a pig for its nostrils and general body shape, it is too strange to be consumed,” she explains. Looming threats Tapirs may not be singled out by poachers but increasing fragmentation of their habitat spells doom for the species. Throughout its range, deforestation is a problem. Distribution of tapirs in Thailand and Vietnam are restricted to pockets of forests which have been turned into sanctuaries and parks. Sumatra, which was totally forest-covered before the year 1900, is experiencing deforestation at crisis proportions. In a less critical way, Malaysia is losing its forest cover to poorly planned land conversion that fail to take into consideration the needs of its fauna. Dr van Strien notes that the ongoing reduction in habitat is of serious concern. “If we don & #8217;t protect the habitat, eventually the tapir will disappear.” Fragmented forests, he adds, will bring on extinction through loss of food sources. A depressed population inevitably encourages inbreeding that would ultimately lead to abnormal reproductive ability and a regressive gene pool. He suggests that corridors of forest, a tested model in Europe, be created to facilitate the movement of animals in fragmented habitats. The need for a wildlife corridor should be considered as shown by the reported cases of road kills. Perhilitan & #8217;s Abd Kadir says there were four cases of road kill last year in northern Selangor. He believes the animals were crossing the road to get to saltlicks, their source of the mineral. International project coordinator of the Malay Tapir Project Dr Carl Traeholt cautions that unscientific population estimates will not safeguard the survival of the Malay tapir in Malaysia. Hence, the urgent need for a thorough survey. “I don & #8217;t think anyone knows how many tapirs we have. Even if we have 10,000 individuals, we still must not lose focus in protecting the species,” asserts the wildlife ecologist. Knowledge of the tapir is so limited that every piece of information needs to be documented and analysed. For instance, he says, data on road kills are no less important than field data on animal sightings because any population that is impacted by development is vulnerable to population fluctuation. Using a model, participants of the workshop found that removing just five animals a year from a population of 5,000 tapirs can have devastating effect on their numbers, particularly with breeding females. The workshop recommends registration of all forms of tapir use, be it capture for the pet trade, the accidental catch or the road kill. An action plan for the Malay tapir drafted at the workshop will be finalised by year-end in time for the 2nd International Tapir Symposium in Panama, says Dr Bengt Holst, vice-director of the Copenhagen Zoo. Holst, who chairs the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria Tapir Taxon Advisory Group, says capacity-building in terms of staff training and appreciation is the key issue of the action plan. It recommends that field data be taken seriously as this will boost staff morale and ultimately, ensure quality data collection that is vital for formulating conservation strategies. He says law enforcement, particularly in protecting forest reserve, is important to prevent encroachment into nature reserves. A broad awareness campaign to raise the profile of tapirs both in the public and private sector is equally urgent. To gain a better understanding of the & #8216;strange & #8217; mammal, the Malay Tapir Project and another field study were chosen as model studies for the Malay tapir conservation. The projects will look at the home range, ecological function and biology of wild individuals. As Traeholt points out, biological information on the Malay tapir is largely based on captive population in zoos that show a long life span, but that may be a positive outlook as animals in the wild are more susceptible to the perils of natural elements. Towards this end, the World Wide Fund for Nature is ready to assist in information-sharing. Its national coordinator Dr Dionysius Sharma says the organisation & #8217;s tiger conservation work in Jerangau, Terengganu over the past five years has yielded substantial data on tapirs. Their work is expanding to include camera-trapping at Ulu Muda (Kedah), Belum (Perak), Temenggor (Terengganu) and Gunung Stong forests (Kelantan) and may gather more data on tapirs in the northern forests of the peninsula. “With the data generated, we will be in a good position to work with state forestry departments in identifying forests of high conservation value. This will ensure appropriate use of these forests and secure enough good habitat for viable populations of the tapir,” he adds. <b>Related Stories:</b> <a href= " http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/9/16/features/6180078\ & sec=features " >Fact File</a> <a href= " http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/9/16/features/6136534\ & sec=features " >Raising the tapir & #8217;s profile</a> <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. 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