Kuala Lumpur: A teacher was fortunate to survive after her vehicle collided with an elephant on Kilometer 6 of the Nitar-Mersing road here yesterday.
Mersing district deputy police chief DSP Sharif Shai Sharif Mondoi said they received information about the incident involving the 30-year-old woman at around 6.45am, national news agency Bernama reported today.
Investigations revealed the accident occurred when the driver of a Honda City, who was travelling from Endau to Kahang, Kluang, struck the elephant that was in her path.
“However, the woman, who was driving alone, did not sustain serious injuries and was reported to have remained in her car until the elephant left the scene.
“The condition of the elephant could not be determined, as the wild animal moved away from the location and headed towards a nearby palm oil plantation,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.
Sharif Shai also advised road users to always be cautious and not panic if they encounter similar situations.
“Any information can be relayed to the Mersing District Police Headquarters at 07-7992222 or through the hotline at 07-7996224 or any nearby police station,” he added.
Previously, social media reported several wild elephants roaming in Kampung Triang Besar, and two men claimed to have encountered a tiger while fishing near the Felda Nitar 2 palm oil plantation in Mersing.
Records from the Johor Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) showed that from 2020 to August, a total of 510 complaints regarding human-elephant conflicts were reported across six districts, with Mersing accounting for 181 cases, Kluang (160), Kota Tinggi (111), Segamat (39), Batu Pahat (12), and Johor Baru (seven).
