LibGuides: Tapirs (extant/living species; Tapirus spp.) Fact Sheet: Population & Conservation Status

Population Status

Populations of all species are decreasing.
Best estimates, as of Feb 2019
- Fewer than 5,500 Baird's tapirs remaining (2006 data; Tapir Specialist Group 2019a; also see Garcia et al. 2016)
- Only about 2,500 (perhaps 3,000) mature Malay tapirs remaining (Traeholt et al. 2016)
- Fewer than 2,500 mountain tapirs remaining—very rough estimate, more research is needed (Lizcano et al. 2002; Lizcano et al. 2016; Tapir Specialist Group 2019b)
- No estimates available for lowland tapir (Naveda et al. 2008; Tapir Specialist Group 2019c )

IUCN Status

T. indicus - Malay Tapir: Endangered (2014 assessment) (Traeholt et al. 2016)
- 1,500-2,000 in Malaysia
- 50-100 in Thailand
T. bairdii - Baird’s Tapir: Endangered (2014 assessment) (Garcìa et al. 2016)
- 2006 population estimates by Naranjo, Cruz-Aldán and Lira-Torres for the IUCN
- <5,500 individual Baird’s tapir remaining in the wild
- >1,500 in Mexico
- >1,000 in Guatemala
- >500 in Honduras
- >500 in Nicaragua
- >1,000 in Republic of Panama
- >1,000 in Costa Rica
- ~250 in Colombia
T. pinchaque - Mountain Tapir: Endangered (2014 assessment) (Lizcano et al. 2016)
- < 2,500 mature individuals remaining
T. terrestris - Lowland Tapir: Vulnerable (2018 assessment) (Varela et al. 2019)
- Population estimates unavailable

CITES Status

Endangered Species Act

Poaching—humans are chief predators (hunt with dogs)
Land clearing for agriculture
- Phys.org article on ecological role in forests
Giant anacondas and crocodiles attack and swallow whole
Low reproductive rate (13 month gestation with single offspring which spends 2 years with mother)
High infant mortality due to tigers in Asia, jaguars and pumas in Mesoamerica and South America

Only 2,500 of the striking black-and-white Malay tapir remain—it is the only tapir species found in Asia.