PETALING JAYA: Wild elephants severely damaged a car on the East-West Highway near Sungai Lebey, Gerik, last night in an incident believed to have been triggered by the sound of a horn from another vehicle.
The incident occurred at around 8.15pm near KM11, where a driver had stopped his car to allow a herd of elephants to cross the road, Berita Harian reported.
Gerik police chief Zulkifli Mahmood said police received a report at 11.36pm from a 39-year-old man who said he had stopped his car and turned off the headlights when a vehicle behind him honked.
“Suddenly, three elephants began approaching his vehicle,” Zulkifli was quoted as saying in a statement.
“In a panic, the driver exited the car to save himself. He later lodged a police police report at the Gerik police station.”
Zulkifli said that the front, rear, and sides of the car were damaged although the driver escaped unhurt.
He also reminded road users to exercise caution and follow safety guidelines in encounters with wildlife, including by refraining from honking or using high beams and remaining calm.
Earlier this month, a male elephant calf was killed along the same highway at KM80 after being struck by a container lorry.
The driver told police that he saw a large elephant by the roadside before crashing into the calf as it suddenly crossed.
A viral video on social media showed an emotional scene of the mother elephant attempting to move the truck that had hit her baby. She remained at the site for over five hours in a heartbreaking display that touched the hearts of many.
