A 31-year-old man was injured in the early hours of the morning after his car struck an elephant calf along Jalan Felda Nitar near Kampung Pengkalan Bukit Asli, before veering off the road and plunging into a five-metre ravine.
The impact is believed to have been fatal for the calf.
What followed was a tense and unusual situation on the roadside: an adult elephant, believed to be the mother of the calf, reportedly stayed behind at the location and refused to move, bringing traffic in the area to a standstill as motorists were forced to wait.
A firefighter at the scene said the baby elephant could not be saved.
Mersing Fire and Rescue Station chief Mohd Alias Hussin said authorities were alerted at 2.28 am, prompting the deployment of nine personnel to the location, roughly 27 kilometres from the station.
The team arrived at about 3.03 am.
He said the driver was heading towards Felda Nitar in Kahang, Kluang, when the collision occurred, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into the ravine.
The man was trapped inside the wreckage but was later extricated by rescue personnel.
He sustained injuries to both legs and was transported to Mersing Hospital for treatment. – July 1, 2026
See video here https://www.facebook.com/reel/2428853767520236
