M'sians Want Stronger Wildlife Laws After Elephant Calf Killed By Lorry — How You Can Help
Experts say habitat fragmentation is the leading cause of wildlife roadkill in Malaysia.
Cover image via Just days after a heartbreaking video of a mother elephant trying to rescue her calf went viral, Malaysians are demanding urgent reforms to protect the country's wildlife
The tragic incident, which occurred along the Gerik-Jeli Highway, has sparked renewed calls for stronger enforcement, better infrastructure planning, and tougher wildlife protection laws.
Screenshots from the viral video showing the mother elephant attempting to push the lorry off her calf.
Image via X
Social media has been flooded with grief and frustration, with citizens, conservation groups, and environmental advocates expressing outrage that such avoidable tragedies continue to happen
Meanwhile, local conservation organisation JejakLiar.my issued a statement stressing that the root cause of such roadkill incidents is habitat fragmentation — the result of unchecked development that slices through vital forest ecosystems.
The East-West Highway, where the calf was killed, cuts through the Belum-Temenggor Forest Reserve, one of the country's oldest and most biodiverse ecosystems.
It is home to endangered species like the Malayan tiger, tapir, sun bear, and Asian elephants.
Social media users are calling for safer roads for wildlife, urging authorities to build designated animal crossings, install warning signs in high-risk areas, and enforce lower speed limits in forest zones to prevent future tragedies.
Image via SAYS (Instagram)
JejakLiar goes on to outline how habitat fragmentation negatively affects local wildlife through three components: habitat loss, habitat reduction, and habitat isolation
Image via @JejakLiar.my (Instagram)
In order to minimise the impact of roads and highways on local wildlife, JejakLiar is proposing the following:
- Dedicated culverts for elephants to pass under
- Canopy bridges for animals that live in trees such as monkeys
- Ecoviaducts that can serve as an underpass for wildlife
- Overpasses to reduce risks of collisions
The organisation also emphasised the long-term importance of reducing deforestation, which they argue remains the most important tool in addressing the larger crisis of biodiversity loss.
Elephants utilising the underpass beneath the Nanyuki-Meru Highway at Mount Elephant Corridor in Kenya.
Image via Research Gate
What can you do to help?
JejakLiar.my is encouraging Malaysians to:
- Volunteer or donate to the Management & Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME)
- Support wildlife NGOs such as Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Malaysia and WWF-Malaysia
Image via MEME
Additionally, you can make changes in your own life to help wider conservation efforts.
This includes reporting wildlife sightings on roads to authorities, reducing your personal carbon footprint and supporting sustainable development, and educating others about habitat loss.
Read JejakLiar's full Instagram post here:
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Image via SAYS
