Tapirs are often confused with other large mammals such as hippos, pigs or anteaters, but according to media reports, their closest living relatives are actually rhinoceros and horses.
Today, the world celebrates World Wildlife Day with the theme of “Sustaining all life on Earth”. According to the United Nations (UN), ‘All life on earth’ encompasses all wild animal and plant species as a component of biodiversity, as well as the livelihoods of people, especially those who live closest to nature.
Nearly 900,000 pangolins are believed to have been trafficked across Southeast Asia in the past two decades, a wildlife watchdog said Thursday, highlighting the challenge in tackling the illicit trade.As the world's most heavily trafficked mammal, the creatures are targeted for their body parts which are highly valued in traditional medicine in countries including China and Vietnam, and their meat is seen as a delicacy.Also known as the scaly anteater, the shy, primarily nocturnal animal
Vietnam seized more than two tonnes of ivory tusks and pangolin scales hidden inside wooden boxes shipped from Nigeria, state media reported Tuesday.The bust comes at the end of a year of big wildlife seizures destined for communist Vietnam, a hotbed of the illicit but lucrative trade in animal parts from elephants, pangolins, tigers and rhinos.Authorities in northern Hai Phong city found 330 kilograms of ivory and 1.7 tonnes of pangolin scales after checking three container shipments from Ni
Illegal hunting poses a greater threat to ASEAN’s wildlife than earlier thought according to a study published in the Communications Biology journal last week.
Malaysia is known as a popular ‘destination airport’ and transit for the illegal wildlife trade, where an alarming number of wildlife products have been seized.
More than 2,300 endangered tigers have been killed and illegally trafficked since the turn of the century, according to a report published Tuesday, urging more action to protect the giant cats.With an average of more than 120 illegally trafficked tigers seized each year - which amounts to over two each week - since year 2000, conservation group Traffic warned there was little sign of respite for the species.
55 pieces of rhino horn were found encased in plaster at an airport in the Vietnamese capital, authorities said Sunday, as the country tries to crack down on sophisticated wildlife smuggling routes.The communist state is both a consumption hub and popular transit point for the multibillion-dollar trade in animal parts.The 125-kilogram (275 pound) haul of rhino horn discovered at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport on Thursday was found after the carefully disguised shipment aroused suspicion.Images
One of Southeast Asia’s main treasures is its beautiful flora and fauna. Gifted with lush forests and beautiful waters, the region is blessed with diverse wildlife. However, bit by bit, some of these natural wonders are being chipped away by the rapid modernisation that’s taken over the region. This, compounded by several other reasons have had an adverse effect on animals of different species such as the Malayan tiger and tapirs.
Malaysia is blessed with rainforests that play host to some of the most diverse tropical ecosystems in the world. Estimated to be approximately 130 million years and older than the Amazon, Malaysia’s Taman Negara takes top spot as the world’s oldest rainforest. The country’s rainforests are an abode to a plethora of flora and fauna, a home for numerous unique mammals and species of birds.
The Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) that was officially announced by an international team of scientists early this month – is already an endangered species.With 800 or fewer individuals, the Tapanuli orangutan is the rarest of all great apes.
While the Sumatran rhino, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, once roamed the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in Bhutan and India, through Myanmar, Thailand, possibly to Vietnam and China, and south through the Malay Peninsula, the species in now found in diminutive populations on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.These scattered populations are mainly confined to Gunung Leuser, Kerinci-Seblat and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Parks.
