SINGAPORE - A globally endangered Malayan tapir first spotted in Pulau Ubin in May could still be roaming the forested rubber plantations and fruit orchards of the island.

The animal was first detected on May 27 by camera traps at about 8.30pm in the eastern part of Ubin, according to a Nature in Singapore journal record published on Nov 29.

This marks Singapore’s first photographic evidence in 2024 of a Malayan tapir, which is considered non-native for the island-state.

The nocturnal creature was caught by camera traps again in the night and wee hours of the morning on several occasions between July and August, which showed it feeding on fallen fruit and tree branches in western Pulau Ubin.

Researchers concluded in the Nov 29 record that it was the same adult female due to a curved scar on the creature’s backside, the equivalent of a mark on a human’s left buttock.

She was filmed by chance in a study being conducted by George Mason University in the US, National University of Singapore (NUS) and the National Parks Board (NParks).

The study was to monitor the distribution and population of Pulau Ubin’s greater mousedeer, a species once thought of as extinct here until 2009 when a breeding population was confirmed.

Researcher Marcus Chua told The Straits Times: “I was more than excited to see the Malayan tapir appear on my screen when checking the images after we retrieved them from the camera trap.

“To my surprise, she appeared in more than one site across the island.”

By the time the study ended on Sept 23, five of 41 camera trap stations across the island had captured the monochromatic mammal.

The tapir was last recorded on Aug 12 moving through forest after midnight in the west of Pulau Ubin.

Said Mr Chua, who is also NUS’ Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum’s mammal curator: “It seems that Pulau Ubin is part of her home range (the area within which an animal normally lives) at least for this year, so she could still be there or may visit the island from time to time.”

NParks group director of conservation Lim Liang Jim said the Pulau Ubin sightings, while notable, do not in themselves indicate the presence of a resident population of the Malayan tapir in Singapore

He said: “We will continue to monitor reporting of its sightings and note incidental records through camera traps and signs such as tracks or sightings.”

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