MERSING, Sept 26 – A man was killed and another seriously injured after being attacked by an elephant at a primary school in Felda Tenggaroh 5 today.
The victims, cleaning workers at SK LKTP Tenggaroh, were trying to chase away the lone elephant when they were attacked around 11am. One victim was in his 20s, while the other was in his 40s. Both were trampled by the elephant and subsequently rushed to Mersing Hospital for treatment.
Tenggaroh assemblyman K. Raven Kumar revealed that the Felda Tenggaroh 5 office had received a call at 8.30am regarding the sighting of an elephant at the back of the school grounds.
The Felda Tenggaroh 5 manager contacted the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and advised residents to avoid the area and refrain from confronting the wild animal.
“However, the manager later received a call at 11.30am informing him that two men had been attacked by the elephant,” he said.
“It is understood that one victim died, while another is being treated for his injuries at the hospital.”
Raven Kumar noted that the two victims had confronted the elephant with sticks in an effort to drive it away.
“It is an unfortunate incident, and I urge Perhilitan to take immediate measures to deal with the situation,” he said, adding that there had been previous sightings of elephants roaming near the area.
Meanwhile, Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon stated he was also alerted about the incident.
He informed the media via WhatsApp that Perhilitan had been deployed to Felda Tenggaroh 5 after receiving the report.
Later, a Perhilitan team confirmed that the suspected elephant had moved to another area based on aerial reconnaissance conducted with a drone.
