South American Tapir

The South American Tapir is a herbivorous mammal with a form resembling a pig, and it mostly eats clay licks. This animal supports the diversity of forests and the overall health of the ecosystem by acting as a disperser and predator of tree seeds. It is a keystone species. However, combined with unlawful hunting and poaching, habitat degradation from logging operations and deforestation have been this species' major concern, causing its population numbers to drastically decline.

In Peru, the tapir is currently in danger of going extinct, while in the Amazon region of Argentina, tapir numbers have decreased by an estimated 60% during the past 200 years. Due to the species' broad habitat requirements and the fact that many of its protected areas are flanked by unprotected private property, conservation efforts have struggled to aid in the recovery of the species.