A recent and poignant event involving elephants occurred on May 11, 2025, in Malaysia’s Belum-Temenggor forest reserve. A five-year-old male elephant calf was tragically struck and killed by a 10-tonne lorry on the East-West Highway, a known crossing for elephants and critically endangered Malayan tigers. Disturbing footage captured the calf pinned under the lorry while its mother spent five agonizing hours attempting to rescue or mourn her young, refusing to leave the scene.
Wildlife officials later removed the calf’s body and relocated the grieving mother to a safer area. Authorities determined that the 28-year-old truck driver, who was transporting poultry, was not negligent; he had avoided one elephant only to have the calf suddenly emerge from the opposite side, making it impossible to stop in time due to heavy fog and poor lighting. Following the tragedy, Malaysia announced plans to incorporate dedicated wildlife crossings in future highway designs to prevent such accidents .
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