A Baby In His Group Was Hit On The Highway, A Herd Of Wild Elephants Trampled On A Car

JAKARTA - A car was trampled by a herd of wild elephants in Malaysia after the car hit a baby in their group on the local main highway, authorities said.

The white car was driven by a man (48) with his wife and son (23), according to a statement issued by police in Gerik, the Malayan Peninsula.

It said the family was driving on the main highway from Penang Island to the northeastern coastal state of Terengganu at around 7:35 p.m. local time on Sunday, when it hit an elephant calf, cited from CNN, November 28.

Gerik Police said it was drizzling and the weather was foggy as the car was "passing the left corner of the highway" when it hit the baby elephant.

"The car hit a young elephant walking on the road with its herd," said Gerik Police Chief Zulkifli Mahmood, Head of Gerik Police, adding that the elephant calf fell to the ground due to a collision.

'Seeing this, (five) other elephants rushed to the car and began to trampled on it," he continued.

The herd then left the area after the elephant calf "resured," Mahmood said.

The Gerik police did not specify whether the three family members were in the car at the time of the incident, but there were no reports of death or serious injuries in the police statement.

The photo displayed shows severe damage to the front and side of the white vehicle, with the side door collapsing. All windows were also broken.

Authorities did not provide further information about the baby elephant's condition.

Separately, conservation activists said the rapid construction of highways in Malaysia, causing wild elephants across the peninsula to have lost a lot of forests, forcing many elephants off the highway to look for food.

In this latest accident, the Gerik police warned drivers to be more careful on the highway, as elephant swarms often roam the area.

Warning signs for drivers regarding elephant crossings are also installed along the highway, particularly in the northern part of the country, but accidents are still happening.

In 2017, a baby elephant was found dead on the side of the highway, apparently hit by a car believed to be speeding up, the Malaysia Elephant Management and Ecology (MEME) elephant conservation group said at the time.

Another elephant encounter was also reported to have occurred on several highways. In May 2022, an adult elephant was seen walking alone along the highway as well as in the Gerik area. Videos shared on social media show the elephant walking through a confused driver.

In 2020, a depressed adult elephant trampled on a car that was driving on the same highway as the latest incident. The elephant is believed to have panicked after several vehicles began honking its horns, local authorities said at the time.