IT has been a few days of panic for some native villages around Gua Musang in Kelantan that have had a wild elephant and tigers straying into their neighbourhoods from the jungle.
These incidents come just three weeks after an elephant was found roaming around the MGH housing estate in Gua Musang town, and a week after reports of fatal tiger attacks in nearby rural areas surfaced.
In Kampung Kelaik, Pos Blau, more than 70 Orang Asli villagers ran helter-skelter when an elephant showed up on Thursday, Bernama reports.
One of the Temiar tribal inhabitants, Uda Busu, 42, said the adult elephant appeared for the first time on Wednesday and raided their crops. The animal then resurfaced at about 5pm the next day.
On this second occasion it came dramatically close to a group of children who were playing among the houses.
According to Uda, the frantic folk from all 24 houses in the village then fled en masse towards the Gua Musang-Lojing road.
"All of us abandoned the village and took refuge by the roadside because we were worried the elephant could get temperamental and might injure us,” he was quoted as saying.
"We waited by the side of the road for hours until we were absolutely sure the wild beast had vanished into the forest and only then did we return to the village at about 3am.”
Upon reaching the village, they found leftover food and pans from two houses scattered on the ground, likely from the elephant rampaging through kitchens scavenging for food.
Village head of Pos Blau, Salleh Angah, 60, hoped that the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) will assure the safety of the villagers after the harrowing close encounter.
"We hope Perhilitan will take decisive long-term action because in all likelihood this elephant will stray into another village.
"Previously, there were also elephants appearing on the road leading to Pos Blau. If possible, we want the authorities to drive the mammal deeper into the jungle and not invade any village again," he said.
Kelantan director of Perhilitan, Mohamad Hafid Rohani confirmed to Bernama that he had received a report regarding the latest brush with wildlife.
Terrified smallholders staying indoors
Mohamad Hafid also said that tiger pug marks were found near some other villages and game wardens had been sent to the location.
The villagers of Kampung Seberang Lembaga and the Kesedar Sungai Terah Land Rehabilitation Scheme near Gua Musang have been terrified ever since the pug marks were spotted near some homes yesterday.
They are hoping the tiger can be caught soon so that the over 800 residents in the area can live without fear of venturing out for their chores.
Many of the villagers who are smallholders say they are reluctant to be out in the open and prefer to be indoors in the safety of their homes.
One smallholder, Raja Azmi Ramli, 64, said he is afraid of going to his oil palm plot for fear of coming across the tiger.
"I used to be at the smallholding from 9am to noon, but today I was there for only about an hour with my son to apply fertiliser,” he was reported as saying by Bernama.
"I hope the Department of Wildlife and National Parks will monitor the situation," he added.
Another smallholder, Zahari Daud, 53, said reports of a tiger on the prowl lately have struck fear in over a hundred villagers who are now fearful about going on their daily chores.
"Several days ago, the tiger was spotted in Jalan Subong. Yesterday, a villager came across the animal and in the evening the pug marks were seen behind some houses.
Over the last week, a local man was found mauled in a rubber plantation in Gua Musang, just days after a Myanmar national was found bitten and dead in the same area. – The Vibes, November 19, 2023
