Arya News - It happened on the same highway where an elephant calf was killed earlier in May after it was hit by a lorry.
SINGAPORE – Wild elephants went on a rampage and destroyed a vehicle in Malaysia in an incident believed to have been triggered by the sound of car horns, the authorities said.
The episode took place on the night of May 20 near KM11 of the Gerik-Jeli highway.
It is the same highway where an elephant calf was killed earlier in May after it was hit by a lorry.
In the latest incident, the driver of a Toyota Vios car was on his way to Gerik, a small town in the state of Perak, when he saw a herd of elephants crossing the highway.
The 39-year-old stopped his car and turned off the vehicle’s headlights, said Gerik police chief Zulkifli Mahmood.
“However, the sound of the horn from another vehicle is believed to have caused three elephants to approach the car,” he said.
Mr Zulkifli said the terrified driver quickly exited his car to save himself, and did not sustain any injuries. However, his car was severely damaged, especially at the rear and front.
Videos showing the damaged white sedan went viral on social media.
The driver lodged a police report as well as a complaint with the Wildlife and National Parks department (Perhilitan).
Perak Perhilitan chief Yusoff Shariff said the incident involved a herd of six elephants, including one adult male.
“The tuskless adult male was in an aggressive state,” he said.
On Mother’s Day on May 11, a mother elephant stayed by her dead calf’s side along the Gerik-Jeli highway after the juvenile was killed in an accident with a lorry.
The incident drew widespread sympathy and led to growing calls to better protect the country’s wildlife.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said over 66,000 human-wildlife conflict incidents had been reported from 2020 to 2024, resulting in RM46.5 million (S$14 million) in losses.
He said that human-elephant conflicts are pressing issues as they often involve lives and properties.