Wild elephant charges at motorists along East-West Highway in Malaysia
This is not the first time motorists have encountered wild elephants along the East-West Highway. A collision between a lorry and an elephant calf on the same stretch of road in May last year prompted renewed calls for dedicated wildlife crossings.
Footage published on TikTok on Tuesday (Jan 6) showed a tusked elephant slowly approaching a car, before it suddenly charges, forcing the driver to reverse. (Screengrab: TikTok/Aimi_Nawi)
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Motorists had a close shave with a wild elephant along the East-West Highway near the border between Perak and Kelantan states in Malaysia.
Footage posted on TikTok on Tuesday (Jan 6) shows a motorist stopping by the roadside after spotting a tusked elephant ahead. The clip combines phone recordings and dashcam footage dated Jan 4.
In the footage, the elephant is seen slowly approaching the vehicle before suddenly charging and letting out a loud trumpeting sound, forcing the driver to reverse.
The elephant then turns its attention to a nearby blue pick-up truck, which also backs away as the animal closes in.
The truck, which was briefly cornered, eventually swerves to the side of the road to avoid the animal, before continuing along the road.
Towards the end of the video, the motorist drives past the elephant, which is seen foraging by the roadside.
In her caption, TikTok user Aimi Nawi said she has encountered elephants before while travelling along the East-West Highway, but this was her first close encounter.
Responding to comments on the video, she said the incident took place near Banding Island which is in Temenggor Lake. The lake and island are man-made features of the area.
Her husband was driving at the time, and he reversed when the elephant charged.
She added that their children were in the car, and reversing was the safest option to avoid the risk of the elephant approaching too close and potentially overturning the vehicle.
The user also said she has been using the route for about 30 years, but had never experienced such an incident before.
CNA has reached out to the user for comment.
This is not the first time motorists have encountered wild elephants along the East-West Highway.
In May last year, a lorry collided with an elephant calf on the same stretch of road, prompting renewed calls for dedicated wildlife crossings.
Footage circulating online at the time showed the mother elephant attempting to push the vehicle in an apparent bid to save the calf.
In November 2023, a herd of six wild elephants trampled a car on the East-West Highway, after the vehicle's driver accidentally knocked an elephant calf, which fell to the ground upon impact.
Following the incident in 2023, then-Gerik District Police Chief Superintendent Zulkifli Mahmood had advised motorists to exercise caution when using the highway due to the high likelihood of encountering elephant herds.
