IPOH, May 11 (Bernama) -- The heartbreaking scene of a female elephant head-butting a container lorry which had just fatally knocked down its offspring in an early morning collision on the Gerik-Jeli East-West Highway (JRTB) here, moved many viewers of the viral video to tears on Mother's Day.
Gerik police chief Supt Zulkifli Mahmood, when contacted later, said that the authorities received a call regarding the tragic incident at Kilometre (KM) 80 of the JRTB at 2.50 am.
He explained that due to the close distance, the 28-year-old driver was unable to stop in time and his lorry loaded with chicken, rammed into the young elephant calf.
"According to our initial investigations, the driver first saw an adult elephant grazing on the right side of the road and assumed the route was safe, so he continued driving.
"When he reached the scene, a young elephant suddenly lunged from the forest on the left side. Following the collision, the agonised mother elephant, witnessing the incident, attacked the lorry out of anger and in instinct to protect her calf," he said in an official statement today.
Zulkifli added that the mother of the baby elephant, estimated to weigh 700 kilogrammes, naturally reacted aggressively, refusing to budge from the scene by ramming the front of the truck and causing damage.
"Luckily, the lorry driver suffered no harm. We (police) contacted the Perak Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) and the team managed to calm the female elephant with a tranquiliser shot," he said.
Zulkifli advised road users to be cautious when driving along the JRTB highway at night, as wild animals frequently made crossings in the area.
Meanwhile, Perak Perhilitan director Yusoff Shariff said his department received a report on the unfortunate incident involving the five-year-old male elephant calf at 3.30 am today.
"... (Perak) Perhilitan members have gone to the scene of the incident and we will dispose of the dead elephant calf," he said when contacted by Bernama today.
A video of the incident went viral on social media, showing the mother elephant standing faithfully beside the truck and trying to push the vehicle aside to salvage her calf.
Nothing beats the bond between elephant mother and calf, as the sedated cow reportedly remained at the scene for five hours before being led away by Perhilitan Perak officers and released back into the jungle.
-- BERNAMA
