No action against driver of bus which rammed into elephant

Police and the the Wildlife Department will not press charges against the driver of a bus which rammed into a 10-year-old male elephant, which died at Km60 Grik-Jeli road last month.
Grik district police chief Supt Ismail Che Isa said the accident was unintentional and there was no case to pursue.

“Elephants and other wild animals roam freely in the area and such incidents occur,” he added.
Perak Wildlife and National Parks principal assistant director Wan Shaharuddin Wan Noordin said: “There are no criminal elements, and the weather at the time of the incident has to be taken into account.

“Based on the driver’s statement, thick fog had limited the vision about one to five metres.
“The driver could not see the elephant when it crossed the road due to the blurred vision,” he told theSun today.

Wan Shaharuddin said post mortem report by a veterinarian revealed the animal died due to respiratory failure, blood loss, fluid accumulation in the lungs and a broken leg.
As for precautionary measures, he said a total of 10 signboards of wild animals crossing including elephants have been erected along the road.

“Apart from the warning signs the signboard also provide guidelines incase motorists run into animals.

“It is written in Bahasa Malaysia for all passing motorists to understand and take the necessary precautions to avoid any untoward incidents,” he added.

Wan Shaharuddin advised motorists to avoid using the road during the night and rain due to poor vision.

According to him, wild animals would often sit on the road to warm their bodies in the night or after rain.

The bus was travelling to Betong, Thailand from Terengganu with 30 passengers onboard when the accident occurred at 5.30am on Aug 24.

The driver and the passengers escaped unhurt.

The impact of the crash caused the a cracked windscreen and damages to the front portion of the bus.

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