WHILE mothers across the world are celebrating Mother’s Day with fanfare, the same cannot be said to the voiceless stakeholders who live alongside us.
Recently, the plight of a mother elephant came to light when her calf was killed by a lorry. More heart wrenching was the fact that she didn’t want to leave the dead body of her calf.
In a viral video by netizen @bckupacc99, she could be seen searching under the vehicle where the body was located.
According to Sinar Harian, the accident happened on the East–West Highway (Gerik–Jeli).
Berlari mak dia cari anak 😭 pic.twitter.com/DppaTfovWO
— ًِ (@bckupacc99) May 11, 2025
Netizen @chachw_golcha who observed the video said in the comment section that the lorry must have been moving very quickly for the calf to go under it.
Also, @ArmEzwan blamed the condition of the highway which was not brightly lit.
According to Sinar Harian, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) acted by using a tranquilliser to relocate the mother elephant involved far from the location after the animal refused to move away from her calf.
Perak Perhilitan Director, Yusoff Shariff said a total of 10 personnel from Perhilitan Perak and Kelantan were assigned to help calm down the mother elephant.
“There is indeed a possibility that the elephant will return to the scene of the incident, but we hope it will encounter another herd of elephants and continue to follow that group,” he said.
A separate video by netizen @Protect_Wldlife showed the uncensored version of the incident where the body of the calf was lodged under the lorry.
A baby Elephant has been killed by a lorry whilst attempting to cross the East-West Highway near Gerik, Perak.
Moments later, its mother emerged from the forest, displaying visible distress and refusing to leave her baby’s side.
No mother should have to suffer like this.
— PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE (@Protect_Wldlife) May 11, 2025
At the same time, the mother could be seen using her head to push at the vehicle in vain.
Perhaps the comment from netizen @maverick_rizz makes for a fine closure for this depressing tragedy.
“Boycott elephant rides. Don’t ride or sit on elephants. It’s not just in Thailand. I have seen some wildlife sanctuaries in Malaysia doing this as well, so please talk to your family and friends. Don’t visit or support sanctuaries like these. It’s animal abuse,” he said. —May 12, 2025
Main image: Sinar Harian
