Tapirs are large, solitary mammals found in tropical forests of South America and Southeast Asia. They face significant welfare threats from habitat loss and hunting.
Wild tapirs face chronic welfare challenges from deforestation, fragmentation, and human-wildlife conflict. Forest loss forces tapirs into smaller, lower-quality habitat where food scarcity and stress increase. Road crossings are dangerous, and wildlife crossing structures significantly reduce collision mortality. In captivity, tapirs can suffer from inadequate social contact and environmental complexity.