11-9-2023 (SINGAPORE) A routine morning cycle turned into an extraordinary experience for one man when a Malayan tapir sprinted past him, adding a touch of excitement to his ride.
Cyclist Pong Posadas took to Facebook to share his thrilling encounter, posting a video of the tapir racing towards the Lor Halus bridge along the Punggol Park Connector Network (PCN) on Sunday morning (Sept 10). The tapir overtook him at 6.25am, leaving Posadas astonished.
“I thought I was hearing a horse coming from behind me,” he wrote in the caption. “I just slowed down and let it pass and overtook me: It was a tapir!!!”
Posadas, captivated by the sight, continued cycling behind the tapir, ensuring to maintain a safe distance of eight to ten meters while recording the incredible moment.
In the 36-second video, the tapir can be seen sprinting along the PCN path before eventually coming to a stop and briefly glancing back at a startled Posadas, who promptly stopped and ended the recording.
Posadas clarified in an edited caption that he was not chasing the tapir, as it was already running at high speed before overtaking him. Responding to inquiries from curious netizens, he mentioned that the tapir later retreated into the water through an opening in the fences.
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The most recent sighting of a Malayan tapir in Singapore occurred on July 22, when one was observed trotting along the path of the Punggol PCN opposite Coney Island.
According to the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), the tapir most likely swam to Singapore from Malaysia. The Malayan tapir is an endangered species, making such sightings rare and significant.
The previous recorded sighting of a tapir in Singapore was in Changi back in 2016. Marcus Chua, an officer at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, described the sighting at that time as “extremely rare for Singapore.”
