RANTAU PANJANG: A tapir which fell into a muddy ditch at Kampung Padang Bukit, Lubuk Setol here on Saturday, most likely wandered off nearly 30km from its habitat, said Kelantan Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department (Perhilitan).
State Perhilitan director Mohamad Hafid Rohani said the lone Tapir is believed to be from the Jedok Forest Reserve in Tanah Merah.
"It must have wandered off, all the way until here. Normally tapirs are commonly found at the reserve forest in Tanah Merah, their original habitat," he said.
He said the department was alerted about the female tapir's presence at the village about 1pm on Saturday.
"We took about two hours to capture the animal that had fallen into the ditch. We managed to successfully cage and relocate it with help from the Civil Defence department and villagers," he said.
Mohamad Hafid added the tapir was in good health throughout the rescue operation and was relocated to a more suitable habitat on the same day.