How do you want the new Malayan tapir at Bioparc Fuengirola to be named? Here's how you can choose its name

Coinciding with the celebration of International Tapir Day this Sunday, April 27, Bioparc Fuengirola has launched a public vote to choose the name for the Malay tapir calf born in the park last March, which became the first to be born in Spain, a milestone for the conservation of this species listed as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Three options have been pre-selected for the name, and voting is now open on the website www.bioparcfuengirola.es. The options are: Tari ("dancer" in Indonesian), Dipika ("light" in Malay), and Mimpi ("dream" in Indonesian).

The Malay tapir (Tapirus indicus) is the only tapir species that inhabits Asia and is considered a "living fossil," whose lineage dates back more than 50 million years. However, its current situation is alarming: agricultural expansion, habitat loss, and poaching have led to a drastic reduction in its population. Currently, it is estimated that fewer than 2,500 individuals remain in the wild, concentrated in small and fragmented populations in Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, and Myanmar.

Births like the one at Bioparc Fuengirola are tangible proof of the joint efforts of modern zoos and conservation centers that are actively involved in the preservation of biodiversity through scientific knowledge, education, and public participation.