KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 --  The Malayan tapir is one of Malaysia's most recognisable forest animals - and one of its most vulnerable.

With its distinctive black-and-white colouring and solitary nature, the tapir moves through dense rainforest in search of food, water and space.

But as highways expand into forested areas, those same movements are increasingly bringing tapirs into deadly encounters with traffic.

Unlike threats that often occur deep within protected areas, roadkill is sudden and difficult to ignore - a single collision can be fatal and for a species with an already small population, each loss carries weight. 

In recent years, tapir roadkill has emerged as a recurring issue across multiple states, particularly in ...