This is despite the many signboards put up to warn motorists about elephants and other
wildlife crossing in the area. The elephant was killed after it was hit by the tour bus early yesterday, as it was crossing at Kilometre 59 in Gerik.
Pictures of the carcass at the scene and the bus with its cracked windscreen and damaged
front end were widely shared on social media, angering many animal lovers and
conservationists. Some asked how the driver had failed to spot such a large animal.
Gerik OCPD Supt Ismail Che Isa said the bus was driven by a 62-year-old man and that
the incident occurred about 5km from the Titiwangsa rest stop.
“The bus was going down a slope and heading towards Gerik when the elephant suddenly
came out of the forest. The driver told us he could not brake in time,” he said.
He said the elephant fell over on impact and then got up and walked to the left side of the
highway. It sat there for awhile and then died.
Supt Ismail said the elephant suffered lacerations on its head and back.
“The bus driver and his 33 passengers were not injured,” he said, adding that the Perak
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) has been informed of the incident.
In June, a two-year-old elephant was crossing the highway and was killed when a car
collided with it.
State Perhilitan director Loo Kean Seong said the area is an elephant habitat and that the
animals are always roaming, no matter the time of day.
“So motorists must be careful and drive cautiously along that stretch. Please also do not
speed,” he said.
The carcass will be sent for a post-mortem and its tusks will be removed before burial.
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