JOHOR BAHRU: A female elephant was found dead, believed to have been hit by vehicles while crossing the road at Batu 7, Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing, near Kota Tinggi, yesterday.
Johor Wildlife and National Parks (Wildlife) director Salman Saaban said a team from the department was sent to the scene early today after receiving a report on the presence of the carcass of the pachyderm at about 12.15 am.
“According to witnesses, the incident occurred at about 11 pm yesterday when a four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicle heading towards Mersing hit it and then followed by a few other vehicles, including a trailer lorry, which could not stop in time before hitting the mammal, which was lying on the road,” he said in a statement today.
He said the driver of the two vehicles were slightly injured in the incident.
Salman said the department recorded the morphological data on the elephant, believed to be part of the herd of between 30 to 40 elephants identified as ID Panti, before burying it near the area.
The stretch between Batu 4 and Batu 14 of Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing is a ‘hotspot’ for elephant crossing, he added.
— BERNAMA
