IPOH, Perak: A herd of six enranged wild elephants trampled a car at KM 55 of Malaysia’s East-West Highway on Sunday (Nov 26), to the shock of a family of three travelling from Penang to Jertih in Terengganu.
A couple and their 23-year-old son, who were inside the vehicle, were unharmed.
However, the Perodua Axia car sustained significant damage to its front, back and left side in the incident, which occurred at 7.35pm just before Hentian Titiwangsa, Gerik District Police Chief Superintendent Zulkifli Mahmood said on Monday.
He said that the car, which the 48-year-old father was driving, came upon the herd just after a bend in the road heading towards Jeli in Kelantan.
“The driver accidentally knocked an elephant calf, which fell to the ground upon impact,” Chief Superintendent Zulkifli added, noting that the incident occurred during drizzly and misty weather. “Seeing this, the other elephants rushed towards the car and started trampling it.”
The herd went away after the calf got back on its feet.
He also advised motorists on the highway to exercise caution due to the high likelihood of encountering elephant herds.