WWF-Malaysia Calls For More Speed Bumps & Stricter Speed Limits At Wildlife Crossing Areas
"An elephant remembers. And so must we," the organisation wrote in a Facebook post.
Cover image via WWF-Malaysia is calling for urgent action after a baby elephant was killed on the East-West Highway — the third elephant roadkill incident since 2024
In a gut-wrenching scene that moved the nation, the calf's mother stood guard for hours, refusing to leave her baby's side until she was sedated and relocated by wildlife officers.
This marks the third elephant road death of 2024, and WWF-Malaysia warns that without immediate intervention, more tragedies are inevitable.
Image via Buletin Malaysia/AsiaOne
The organisation is urging the government to implement speed bumps at key wildlife crossings, construct more safe passages, and enforce speed limits more strictly
These are simple but effective measures that can save lives, both animal and human.
"We welcome long-term efforts like the upcoming Perak Elephant Sanctuary and federal funding — but short-term action is urgently needed to prevent more loss," stated WWF-Malaysia.
Roads like the Gerik-Jeli Highway cut through ancient animal habitats — and the animals are unaware of the dangers they face.
This stretch of highway runs through the Royal Belum State Park and Temengor Forest Reserve — some of the most biodiverse jungles in Southeast Asia.
Elephants, Malayan tigers, tapirs, and countless other endangered animals roam these lands. But to them, a road is just part of the forest.
A 2016 study found that elephant roaming areas in Peninsular Malaysia have shrunk by 68% due to agriculture, infrastructure, and land-use change
When animals lose habitat, they're forced to cross roads more often — and that's when collisions happen.
According to the New Straits Times, the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) reports that from 2020 to 2024 alone, there were 4,919 human-elephant conflict cases, leading to RM39.4 million in property damage.
Roadkill incidents are on the rise, and highways like the Gerik-Jeli stretch are proving particularly dangerous. While wildlife signs are already in place, experts and conservation groups say they aren't enough.
Image via X/@saysdotcom (Instagram)
In response to the tragedy, WWF-Malaysia is calling for urgent on-the-ground action to protect wildlife crossing these highways:
- Install speed bumps at known crossing zones to physically slow down traffic
- Build more wildlife crossings, such as viaducts or underpasses, for safe animal passage
- Enforce stricter speed limits, especially at night when elephants tend to move
These aren't radical ideas. Similar measures have already been tested in places like Endau-Rompin and Krau, showing real results in reducing collisions.
In fact, a 200m-wildlife viaduct already exists at KM157 of the Gerik-Jeli Highway, built in 2015 under the Central Forest Spine (CFS) plan at a cost of RM26 million. But conservationists say one viaduct across a 100km stretch isn't enough.
NRES has introduced measures like electric fences, salt licks, LED signs, and public awareness campaigns
Bigger plans are in the works, too — including a 10,000-hectare elephant sanctuary, ecological corridors, and federal funding incentives for states protecting forests.
But as NRES Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad pointed out, it's not just about money — real change requires cooperation from everyone, from state agencies to drivers.
No amount of funding will work without genuine collaboration between state agencies, plantation owners, contractors, and everyday Malaysians
"It is not just a tragic accident, but a reflection of the serious challenges in human-nature coexistence," the minister said in a statement.
Malaysia remains one of the last places where you can still encounter wild elephants in their natural habitat. But that privilege comes with responsibility.
So, if you're ever driving through Belum, Temengor, Gua Musang, or anywhere along the Central Forest Spine, remember: it's not just your road. It's theirs too.
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Image via SAYS
