Nothing could be more heartbreaking than the video clip of a mother elephant grieving over the death of her baby which had been run over by a container lorry on Mother’s Day, last Sunday.

The collision which happened along the East-West Highway near Gerik in Perak occurred in the early hours of the morning.

Such was the force of the impact, that the baby elephant was pinned under the lorry.

It was a tragic and sad scene, to observe how the adult elephant, believed to be the baby’s mother, had tried several times to try and move the lorry to save her baby.

According to witnesses, the baby was initially alive as they could see it moving; it died shortly afterwards.

After several failed attempts, the traumatized mother openly showed her grief, and refused to leave her baby’s motionless body.

If access had been possible, it is highly likely that she would have attempted to revive her baby.

Clearly saddened by what had happened, the mother prevented other humans from approaching them and possibly interfere with her baby’s body.  

Few people are aware, but elephants are intelligent and loyal creatures with a strong social and family bond. They grieve like humans, and possess a high degree of emotional awareness. 

Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said around 2,361 wild animals were reportedly killed by collisions with vehicles since 2020.

Pahang recorded the highest roadkills of 765 animals, followed by Perak (478), Kelantan (224), Terengganu (201), and Negeri Sembilan (187).

Following the video clip which went viral on social media, Malaysians have urged the authorities to do more to protect the wildlife.

Elephants are not the only animals to have suffered from their engagement with humans. Other animals include tigers, panthers, jaguars, leopards, pythons and anteaters.

More Malaysians should be aware that the wildlife habitat and hunting grounds have been encroached upon by human activity.

Over the years, the jungles, which provide the animals’ source of food, shelter and refuge, have been crisscrossed by roads, and dotted with farms, plantations, settlements and dams.

How can the wildlife be expected to survive? How would you feel, if your homes, community, work places and site for play and entertainment were breached?

We are the aggressors because the animals were there before us and yet, when elephants destroy our orchards to feed on the fruit and vegetation, or tigers attack our livestock or humans in search of food, we hunt them with the aim of killing or capturing them.

Nine years ago, a pregnant tigress was hit around 1a.m. by a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) on the East Coast Highway near Kemaman. The driver of the MPV, was on his way to Kuala Terengganu, and he failed to see the tiger as it crossed the road. 

The tiger was badly injured, and did not recover from her wounds. Her two fetuses could not be saved. That is three deaths of a species which has been hunted down by humans, and they face extinction if nothing is done to help them.

However, that was not the end of the story. Photographs emerged on social media, of people posing beside the dead animal.

More disgusting was the video of a few men, hitting the tiger’s jaw several times, to remove the tiger’s teeth, to keep as trophies.

If they are not hit by vehicles on the busy highway, other animals get trapped in snares which are set-up to capture wild boar.

These magnificent beasts sustain serious injuries in these traps, and if not found in time, may die from their wounds made worse by the lack of water and sustenance.

In other words, they could possibly starve to death if they are unable to free themselves from the traps. 

Most times, tigers which are rescued are normally brought to a rescue center before their eventual release into the jungle.

Back in 2008, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, declared that the Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) is an endangered species, and is one of the six remaining tiger sub-species in the world.

It occupies only the southern and central parts of the Malay peninsula.

It is suspected that only 300 remain, from around 3,000 animals in the 1950s.

The tiger has fallen prey to rapid development, agricultural expansion and widespread hunting.

As the apex predator, tigers ensure that the forest ecosystem is kept in balance.

They hunt over large areas, and may encroach upon farmland and the jungle fringes, where it is very likely they will encounter humans.

Their confrontation with man is fraught with danger. The beast is perceived as a threat to human life and in many cases, he is also seen as a trophy.

The other threat comes from the traditional Chinese medicine trade, whereby the animal is indiscriminately hunted, so that its body parts can be harvested for use in traditional cures.

In 2016, the illegal wildlife trade was alleged to generate between US$8 and 10 billion annually.

Between 2009 and 2012, poachers had killed around 530 tigers. From 2009 to 2011, around 138 snares had been removed from tiger conservation areas. Between 2000 to 2012, the body parts from 94 tigers had been seized in Malaysia.

Data provided by the World Wild Life Fund Malaysia, showed that since 2023, six tigers have died after being struck along this stretch of the busy highway.

We can help by increasing poaching patrols by heavy monitoring the conservation sites and also by improved community engagement.

The authorities need to work with greater urgency to protect our wild life.

Sources:

1. Malaysiakini: A mother’s grief: Nation’s wake-up call
2. Malaysiakini: RimbaWatch wants total halt to road works threatening wildlife habitats
3. Malaysiakini: Vehicles killed over 2,000 wild animals in 5 years: minister

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)