Sightings of the endangered Tapir in Singapore are on the rare side.
One cyclist, however, had the encounter of a lifetime when a tapir bolted past him at full speed.
Amazed and stunned, the cyclist followed it along the Punggol Park Connector, stopping when it came to a halt.
Animal lovers online expressed similar awe at the exciting encounter.
The video’s OP embarked on a routine morning cycling trip at the Punggol Park Connector Network (PCN).
Underneath the 10 Sep twilight, at around 6.25am, the OP suddenly heard something running behind him.
Confused and wondering if it somehow was a horse, he slowed down. The sight of the elusive black-and-white tapir overtaking at full throttle shocked him.
Source: Pong Posadas on Facebook
The OP continued his ride, keeping up with the galloping tapir as he filmed it from a safe distance.
Other surprised joggers stopped at one side of the PCN to watch the tapir on its morning jog. The OP expressed his disbelief to them as he passed by.
Source: Pong Posadas on Facebook
Eventually, the tapir came to a halt. OP quickly braked and turned his bike around to give it its space.
In the comments, OP reported that the tapir made for the coast and swam off soon after. It was only a bike ride short of performing a tapir triathlon.
Source: Facebook
It likely headed back across the waters to Malaysia, where it also likely came from. The belief was shared by ACRES the previous time a tapir was spotted at the Punggol PCN.
Another netizen expressed some fear at the idea of meeting a tapir alone. The OP admitted that he was scared too, but mostly just shocked that an animal of that size could overtake him on his bike.
Source: Facebook
One commenter praised the ‘polite’ tapir for keeping to the left on the PCN, unlike many a rude pedestrian or motorist.
Source: Facebook
All in all, the encounter was both educational and exciting.
Sightings of the endangered tapir are extremely rare, as the animal is not native to Singapore.
Members of the public are encouraged to report wild animal sightings to ACRES through their hotline at 9783 7782 or send an email here.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Pong Pasadas on Facebook.
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