SINGAPORE – Mr Eric Teo was cycling in the Lorong Halus area in the dead of night on March 19 when he noticed an animal foraging at the edge of the forested area.
“It was my first time seeing a tapir in the wild,” said the 28-year-old freelance photographer, adding that he slowed down to observe the rare animal after realising what he had chanced upon.
The Malayan tapir is found mainly in the Malay peninsula, with numbers estimated to be under 3,000.
It is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which means it is at high risk of becoming extinct in the wild.
“It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I understand the animal’s rarity, and I joked with my friends that spotting a tapir in the wild is rarer than striking lottery,” said Mr Teo, adding that he spotted the tapir at around 2am.
