Elephant herd wreaks havoc on car following accident with baby on Malaysian highway
A wild elephant herd in Malaysia wreaks havoc on a car after one of its babies is accidentally hit along a busy highway, prompting a distressing encounter between humans and these majestic creatures
Wild elephants in Malaysia trampled a car on a major highway after it hit a baby elephant, according to local authorities on Monday. The white Perodua Axia was driven by a 48-year-old man with his 23-year-old son and wife, as per a statement from police in Gerik, Malay Peninsula.
The family of three were traveling along a major highway from the island of Penang to the northeastern coastal state of Terengganu at approximately 7.35 p.m. local time on Sunday, when their vehicle collided with the elephant calf.
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At the time of the accident, Gerik Police reported that it was drizzling and foggy, and the car had been "negotiating a left bend on the highway" when it collided with the baby elephant.
Zulkifli Mahmood, Chief Superintendent at Gerik District Police, reported that the car collided with a young elephant walking with its herd on the road. The calf was knocked to the ground from the impact. Upon witnessing this, the other five elephants charged toward the car, trampling it.
After the calf recovered and stood up, Mahmood reported that the herd left the area. It was not specified by Gerik Police if the three family members had been in the car during the incident, but the police statement confirmed that no deaths or serious injuries were reported.
The photos depicted significant damage to the white vehicle, with extensive front and side damage and caved-in side doors. All windows were also smashed. No further updates on the condition of the elephant baby were provided by authorities.
An elephant in Borneo.
Sylvain CORDIER/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images/File
Elephant-human encounters
Due to the rapid development of highways in Malaysia, conservationists say that wild elephants across the peninsula have lost significant amounts of forest cover, leading many to venture out onto roads in search of food.
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In the most recent incident, the Gerik police have issued a warning to drivers to be more cautious on highways due to the frequent presence of elephant herds in the area. Signs alerting drivers to elephant crossings have been installed along many highways, especially in the northern part of the country, but accidents continue to occur.
A baby elephant was found dead on the side of a highway in 2017, believed to have been struck and killed by a speeding car, according to the elephant conservation group Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME). This tragic incident is not an isolated one, as other elephant encounters have also been reported on multiple highways.
In May 2022, a solitary full-grown elephant was seen strolling along a highway in the Gerik area. Videos posted on social media captured the elephant casually walking past surprised motorists.
In a previous incident in 2020, an agitated adult elephant stomped on a car that was also traveling along the same highway. Local authorities believed the elephant had become distressed after being honked at by several vehicles.
