Baird’s tapirs Tapirus bairdii in Nicaragua

N has a high level of biocultural diversity that has brought many researchers to the country for centuries. There exist many reports about their studies and explorations that describe Nicaraguan cultures, languages, and ecosystems. Nonetheless, terrestrial fauna has been significantly under-represented in these investigations and subsequent publication. Due to this, there is a great deal regarding Nicaraguan fauna, especially for rare species such as the Baird’s tapir, that remains unknown to international conservationists. The IUCN range map for this species is a case in point. In this article we clarify the historical and contemporary status of the Baird’s tapir in Nicaragua through a literature review and a preliminary discussion of our long-term ecological research using camera trap and track surveys along the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua.