Drivers on the Gerik-Jeli highway had a surprising wildlife encounter over the Hari Raya holidays. – Screenshots via Tiktok/ Zafidos
PETALING JAYA, May 5 – Malaysians traveling on the Gerik-Jeli highway over the holidays had an unexpected Hari Raya surprise – a lone elephant hurrying down the road.
In a video of the incident shared by TikTok user Zafidos, the mammal can be seen prancing past bewildered drivers as the person filming exclaims in awe: “An elephant! This is crazy.”
A screenshot of another video uploaded in April, showing an elephant calmly walking down the middle of the road. – Picture via TikTok/ CikYus2u
In an Instagram post of the same video, Zafidos shared that he was heading to Marang, Terengganu from Perak.
The 10-second clip has racked up 2.4 million views so far, earning comments from other Malaysians that even the elephant was rushing to make last-minute Hari Raya plans.
Elephant sightings are not uncommon on the East-West highway, particularly along the Gerik-Jeli stretch, as the road is surrounded by two forest reserves: the Royal Belum State Park and the Temengor Forest Reserve.
@azairudin995 Rezeki blh tgk depan..depa kalut nk blik raya kut??? #fyp #gerik ? suara asli – wahyu
Several other Malaysians have shared their own pachyderm encounters in the same area over the past month.
@cikyus2uttok Highway Gerik-Jeli ni kalau direzekikan nampak mmg akan keluarlah big guy yg sado ni?. Tapi jarang. Bahaya woooo #gajahhutangerik #highwaygerikjeli ? Oh no, oh no, oh no, no no – Hip Hop
Some appeared delighted at the chance to catch a glimpse of the majestic animals – in his video of a small herd of elephants grazing by the side of the road, TikTok user Azarudin can be heard gleefully laughing at the sight.
@hanif_0406 Beri laluan #fyp #gajah #gerik ? bunyi asal – CEO OF MYSELF
Others however, were slightly more concerned; in her video of a solitary elephant walking down the middle of the road, TikTok user CikYus2u expressed her fear at the situation.
Wildlife experts have previously urged motorists to remain calm and avoid provoking wildlife in such situations.
@yusadisma #gajahliar #jeligerik #gajahjeligerik ? original sound – yusadisma
In 2020, a distressed elephant had trampled a car after another vehicle had honked at it – fortunately, no one was harmed in the incident.
Commenting on the matter then, Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) Perak director Yusoff Shariff said motorists should remain patient.
“Don’t use high beam lights, don’t sound your horn and most importantly, do not try to chase away the elephant,” he said.
Elephant sightings along the East-West Highway are not uncommon. – Screenshots via TikTok/ Azarudin