A distressing incident involving a wild elephant getting stuck inside a ditch in Perak gripped the nation recently but thankfully, there was a happy ending.
Videos of the incident were shared by various individuals who were at the scene at Batu 11 on the Gerik-Jeli East-West Highway road, including drone footage of the elephant being rescued in an operation led by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan).
A wild elephant got stuck in a ditch on the Gerik-Jeli road in Perak
One of the earliest videos of the incident recorded in the vicinity when the wild elephant got stuck was shared by @joe_relax on TikTok, showing the elephant crying for help as the lower half of its body became stuck inside the longkang.
Watch the video here:
@joe_relax abang long gerik jatuh longkang mintak tolong #gajahviral #gerik #jeli ♬ bunyi asal – joe_relax
In another TikTok video, this time shared by @aman15994, parts of the road were closed by the authorities as they conducted a rescue operation for the majestic animal using an excavator to make a route beside where the elephant was so that it could escape.
At the halfway mark of the video, the elephant finally gets free from the longkang and slowly walks away.
The elephant ‘thanked’ its rescuers after getting free
After it crossed the road, the elephant stopped for a while and looked back at its rescuers while waving its trunk, as if thanking them for the rescue.
Watch the video here:
@aman15994 #abglong #jatuhlongkang ♬ bunyi asal – aman1599
The best video capturing the whole incident has got to be the one shared by Achik Pscho on Facebook, which included drone footage of the rescue mission and the elephant being set free at the end.
Watch the video here:
Perhilitan Perak director Yusoff Shariff was quoted by Berita Harian as saying that the rescue operation took approximately 5 hours, with the department getting assistance from the Public Works Department (JKR), the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and Belati Wangsa concession company.
He added that the elephant was a female and that the ditch it was stuck in was 1.5 metres deep.
Wholesome! So, what do you guys think of the incident? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: 2 Tamed Elephants “Pujuk” Another Wild Elephant to Get onto Wildlife Dept Truck to be Relocated
