PETALING JAYA: Animals, much like humans, experience grief and distress, each in their own unique way, say wildlife experts.
“Mother elephants are very protective of their young. From my years of tracking them in the wild, female elephants in general are gentler and shyer compared to males.
“But when they have a baby, they can be very protective of it,” said Malaysia’s Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (Meme) research project principal investigator Dr Wong Ee Phin.
She cited an incident in 2020 when an elephant calf died after being hit by a car in Johor. Its mother refused to leave the scene.
As for Sunday’s case in Gerik, Perak, in which a mother elephant did not budge for almost five hours after its calf was pinned underneath a lorry, Wong said.
“Even though she could not see her baby underneath the truck, she was frantically trying to reach out to it.”
Veterinarian Dr Salehatul Khuzaimah Mohamad Ali explained that many species, show emotional responses to the loss of their offspring.
Although the exact experience of grief in animals cannot be fully understood, she said experts have observed behaviours consistent with mourning and distress.
“Common behavioural indicators of distress or grief across species include withdrawal from normal activities, decreased appetite, unusual vocalisations (such as whining, howling, crying, keening), restlessness or obsessive behaviour,” she said.
To cope with the death of their young, Dr Salehatul Khuzaimah said that the animals’ behaviour would also “transform”.
These animals, she said, would display a variety of coping mechanisms following the loss of their offspring, ranging from behaviours that appear to resemble mourning to more subtle signs of adaptations or re-engagement with their environment.
“Across species, these general or common patterns of mourning or adaptation behaviours often include withdrawal from social groups or routines or extra care for remaining offspring,” she said.
Just like when dealing with humans, Dr Salehatul Khuzaimah said that sensitivity and care are crucial when observing or encountering animals showing signs of grief or distress.
To mitigate human-wildlife interactions, Wong said that road planning must follow recommendations from conservationists, which emphasise the need for better infrastructure.
Advocacy group Rural Malaysia secretary-general M. Anuar Mahmod urged for wildlife corridors to be built in the area and to install warning signs along the highway.
“Existing policies on infrastructure development in wildlife habitats must also be reviewed,” he said.
WWF-Malaysia said Sunday’s tragedy underscored the need for improved wildlife protection measures along the Gerik-Jeli stretch, a known hotspot for wildlife crossings.
“While signboards may serve as a reminder to slow down, they have not proven sufficient.
“It is time to consider more tangible deterrents. Installing speedbumps at key wildlife crossing points may prove to be far more effective in compelling drivers to reduce speed.”
WWF-Malaysia said drivers must understand that the highway is not theirs alone.
“It is shared with elephants, tigers, tapirs and countless other species who walked these forests long before asphalt was laid.”
Elephants, for instance, have strong memories and travel long distances in search of food and water, it said.
“An elephant remembers. An elephant grieves. Let us not forget either. Please drive with this in mind.”
