CALF ELEPHANT FOUND DEAD AFTER HIT-AND-RUN INCIDENT

18 JAN 2021

IPOH: A young male elephant was found dead by the roadside at Km11 of the Gerik-Jeli stretch of the East-West Highway, believed to have been hit by a heavy vehicle, early yesterday morning.

Perak Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) director Yusoff Shariff said it was suspected that the elephant, believed to be between four or five years in age, was hit by a lorry or bus at about 5 am.

“However, no one has come forward to claim responsibility for the incident. Based on the impact at the location, the 650 kilograms baby elephant was believed to have been in a herd of between 10 to 14 elephants,” he told Bernama here today.

He also advised road users to be more careful and considerate when passing through the forest highways, especially at Jalan Raya Timur Barat which is known to be a habitat and elephant path.

He said the herd is likely to attack if they feel threatened, especially if there is a small calf among them.

“We have also installed several warning signs along the road,” he said. -Bernama