Mahahual, Quintana Roo — Tourists captured video of a Baird’s tapir calmly crossing a jungle road near Mahahual on Tuesday morning, prompting wildlife advocates to urge drivers to use caution.
The conservation group Proyecto AAk Mahahual A.C. shared the footage on social media, alerting motorists to the presence of the large mammal on the roadway.
The Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is one of the largest land mammals in the Maya forest, reaching up to 2.2 meters in length and weighing as much as 300 kilograms. Solitary and territorial, the species has a gestation period of 400 days, with newborns weighing about 10 kilograms.
Tapirs play a key ecological role as seed dispersers. However, the species is listed as endangered under Mexico’s Official Standard NOM-ECOL-059-2001 due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and indiscriminate hunting, despite legal protections and designated conservation areas.
As of Tuesday afternoon, environmental authorities in Othón P. Blanco had not reported locating the animal to relocate it farther from civilization and traffic. Officials joined the call for drivers to exercise extreme caution and to call 911 immediately if they spot the tapir.
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