Viral Tapir Spotted Roaming on Sumatra Highway, BKSDA to Investigate

A tapir was recorded roaming on the Trans-Sumatra Highway (Jalinsum) in the Register 45 area, Mesuji Regency, Lampung. Video of the protected animal’s appearance went viral on social media and drew public attention. In the approximately 17-second video circulating on Thursday (2/7/2026), the black and white tapir was seen walking on the road. Its presence caused several motorcyclists to slow down as they passed. The person recording the video appeared to follow the tapir’s movements from behind. Meanwhile, several other residents stopped at the roadside to watch the wild animal before it eventually walked towards the edge of the road and entered the vegetated area. Itno Itoyo, Head of Conservation Section III Lampung at the Bengkulu Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), said that as of now, his office has not received an official report regarding the tapir’s appearance. ‘No reports have come in yet. However, previously, around 2022 to 2023, there were reports that tapirs were still found in the Register 45 Mesuji area,’ Itno said, as quoted by detikSumbagsel on Thursday (2/7). Despite not having received a report, the BKSDA will conduct an investigation to verify the circulating video and check on the animal’s presence at the location. ‘The initial step we will take is to gather information from the field, check the current land cover conditions, and compare them with data on tapir presence from previous years,’ he stated.