The painting Tapir Diamond underlines Ahmad Shukri Mohamed’s concern for the vulnerable forest habitat of insects, birds and animals. Their survival is also closely intertwined with that of mankind. He has been consistent in his cause, starting with the symbolic chloroformed butterflies on stencilled imprints on crate-boxes and canvases to the dangers posed to the endangered such as the tiger and the Malayan Tapir. The tapir has been around for 35 million years but is suddenly threatened by poaching, deforestation and over-development. The mammal bears similarities to the panda with its distinct black-and-white body and long gestation in birth – 12 to 13 months, with only one pup each time. The largest of four species, the Malayan Tapir is solitary and herbivorous.