Scared and alone: A screen grab of a video showing a young female elephant calf taking shelter under a house porch at Felda Air Tawar 3 in Kota Tinggi.
KOTA TINGGI: There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child, but in this case, it took Felda Air Tawar 3 villagers to care for a lost elephant calf.
Johor Lama assemblyman Norlizah Noh said the incident happened on Nov 26 when a villager found a young elephant resting under his house porch.
“It happened in the early hours of the morning.
“The settler was awakened by strange loud noises outside his house. Even his neighbours heard the same sound,” she said when contacted.
Norlizah said to their surprise, the villagers saw a young elephant moving anxiously, seemingly scared.
The villagers came to the rescue by giving it water and fruits which helped it calm down.
“The villagers stayed by its side while waiting for Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) staff to arrive.
“When Perhilitan staff arrived and tried to take the calf away, it resisted and even sat down in protest.
“After a few hours, the young elephant finally followed them.
“The villagers were happy, knowing it would be in a safer place,” she added.
Norlizah praised the villagers’ quick thinking and compassion, noting that their actions helped keep the young calf calm and safe until professional help arrived.
It is learnt that a few days before, the same calf had been caught in a buffalo trap not far from the settlement.
Its herd may have left it there as they could not free it before Perhilitan staff released it and attempted to return it to its family.
State Perhilitan director Aminuddin Jamin confirmed the incident, saying the young elephant is now at the Johor Elephant Sanctuary (JES).
“The calf is a female and about a year old.
“It sustained some injuries to one of its front legs,” he said, adding that the injury may have caused it to become separated from its herd, known as the Panti group.
Aminuddin said Perhilitan had taken blood samples from the calf for pathology tests adding that it was undergoing medical treatment and health screening at JES.
