Recreational Park In KL Offers RM10,000 Reward To Any M'sian Who Can Name This Baby Tapir

Subscribe to our Telegram channel for our latest stories and breaking news.

The 'Name Our Baby Tapir' contest is held by 99 Wonderland Park, a 23-acre recreational park located in Pusat Bandar Utara, Kuala Lumpur.

On 6 February, a Malayan tapir — or Tapirus indicus — gave birth to a female baby. Now, the park needs fellow Malaysians' help to name her.

"Hi, I am the newborn baby tapir in 99 Wonderland Park Wildlife in the City," the park's official Facebook page wrote.

"I wanted to share something [with] everyone. When I am young, I will not look like my mum or my dad. I look different. And once I [start] to grow up, I will change my colour [to be] more like my parents."

JL99 Group executive chairman Datuk Seri Jeff BK Lee said the contest was organised to celebrate her birth, reported Harian Metro.

Commenting on the birth of the female tapir, Lee said the park received permission from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) director-general Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim to borrow and exhibit the tapirs in the park.

Two tapirs — Mr Junior dan Puan Peradong — came to 99 Wonderland Park in January last year.

"After more than a year of being preserved and exhibited here, Puan Peradong gave birth to her daughter who, as everyone knows, has not been named," said Lee.

"We leave it to all Malaysians to name it. The chosen name will be announced later and the winner will be given the promised RM10,000 cash reward."

According to Harian Metro, on average, female tapirs give birth every two years.

Baby tapirs will then live with their mothers for six to eight months before becoming independent.

The Malayan tapir was first listed as endangered in 1986 due to the decline of available habitat, forest fragmentation, and prevalence of hunting.

A 2020 report noted that there are only 1,500 Malayan tapirs in Malaysia, while the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated that there are fewer than 2,500 mature Malayan tapirs remaining in the Southaast Asian region.