Latest news with #elephant


Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Moment out-of-control elephants turn on their handlers and trample crowd at Indian festival
This is the horrifying moment a panicked elephant tramples a crowd of festival-goers in India. The male elephant was part of an 18 animal strong procession for the Rath Yatra celebrations through Khadia, an area in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, when it appears to have become spooked. The colourfully dressed creature seems to be looking for a way out from the busy streets when he storms away from its handlers and charges towards a crowd pressed up against some railings. Several terrified people get caught under the elephant's feet and the collapsing railing as the huge animal bulldozes through, waving its tusks. Dozens rush to help the squashed festival-goers once the creature makes its way further down the street, two more elephants in tow. RK Sahu, Superintendent of the Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden told The Times of India: 'Following protocol, the elephant was immediately given a tranquiliser injection. 'Two female elephants were used to gently herd him away from the crowd, in line with our standard safety strategy.' The Indian outlet reported that no one was injured and the alarmed crowd was able to be brought back under control. They added that the elephant was the only male in the procession and will not be re-joining the troop. Around 100 people in India are killed each year by elephants, though the number can be as high as 300, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Rath Yatra is an annual festival which sees a procession make its way through the streets to celebrate three Hindu deities. Chariots are traditionally used as well as elephants and decorated trucks make up the 14 kilometre long procession. Two years ago, a person died during the festival after the balcony they were standing on collapsed. More than 20 people were standing on the veranda watching the procession when Mehul Panchal was killed from the fall. Among the injured were three children. In 2022, Maya Murmu, 70, was trampled to death by an elephant when she was out collecting water in Raipal village, Eastern India when the escaped elephant came out of nowhere. She later died in hospital of her injuries, Rasgovindpur police station inspector Lopamudra Nayak said. Then that evening the elephant returned as the 70-year-old's body lay on top of her funeral pyre. It took her body down, trampled her again, threw her around and went off into the night, according to the Press Trust of India. The elephant is believed to have travelled from the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in the state of Jharkhand, 200km away from Raipal in Odisha state, Mayurbhanj district. According to local reports, the Independent said, the second trampling happened while Ms Murmu's family were performing last rites. It is now known if anyone else was harmed but the family did go ahead with the ceremony after the elephant left. The year before that, a 30-year-old man was filmed running for his life after a wild elephant charged at him in Assam, north-eastern India. After tripping and falling in the paddy field, the man lies helplessly on the ground as the charging elephant closes the gap between them. The man tries to get back up again, but within moments the pachyderm is upon him, goring him with its tusks and trampling him with a frightening ferocity. Meanwhile, onlookers record the brutal encounter on their phones in terror. The injured man was rushed to safety while the forest officials chased the jumbo back towards the forest cover. India Today reported the man was 'severely injured' although still alive.


Arab News
4 days ago
- Science
- Arab News
Indonesian researchers unearth 500,000-year-old elephant fossils in Java
Jakarta: Indonesian researchers have discovered fossils of a prehistoric elephant in Central Java, which they estimate are around 500,000 years old. The fossils were found in Patiayam, an archaeological site and mountainous area situated on the border of the Kudus and Pati regencies in Central Java, where, throughout the years, ancient animal fossils have been found. In 2024, a collaborative team organized by the Center for Prehistory and Austronesian Studies, the Dharma Bakti Lestari Foundation and the National Research and Innovation Agency, known locally as BRIN, launched a research project at the site to explore fossil possibilities. Though the initial discovery was made then, researchers postponed the project until this year and expanded the site of excavation, which is still ongoing. 'Based on the geological formation of the site where it was found, we estimate that the fossils are at least 500,000 years old, give or take. We have yet to conduct a direct dating of the fossils, so this is based on a relative dating of the soil layer,' Mohammad Ruly Fauzi, researcher at CPAS and BRIN, told Arab News. 'We have been able to identify that these belong to an elephas type, but not the specific species … What's clear is that this is a very big elephant, nothing like elephants today …. It's prehistoric, not early historic period.' He said the excavation has made about 50 percent progress and that the elements found so far make up the front part of an elephant. 'It's interesting because this is shaping up to be an almost complete fossil … They are all situated pretty closely.' Once the excavation is completed, the fossils will be preserved as part of a collection at the Patiayam Archaeological Museum. The discovery might help Patiayam gain recognition as a cultural heritage site, Fauzi added. 'Every site has its own unique qualities, but Patiayam site is particularly interesting and very deserving to gain status as a national cultural heritage site in our opinion … This research can help serve as a foundation for officials to decide,' he said. Central Java, where Patiayam is located, is also home to the Sangiran Early Man Site, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its significant collection of Homo erectus fossils, dating from 1.1 million to 800,000 years ago, including the 'Java Man.'


The Guardian
13-06-2025
- The Guardian
Week in wildlife: a flying zebra, chilling pelicans and a ghost elephant
Strange seedlings … baby robins await their next meal from their nest, which their parents built in a plant pot, in East Derry, New Hampshire, US Photograph: Charles Krupa/AP A lone male elephant has been captured on camera in Senegal's Niokolo-Koba national park for the first time since 2020. Sightings are rare in the area due to the species' elusive behaviour and small population, earning this one the nickname Ghost Elephant Photograph: Senegal DPN/Panthera High and dry … Ed the runaway zebra is airlifted by helicopter back to his owner following his capture after a week on the loose, in a rural area south-east of Nashville, Tennessee, US. The escaped zebra became an internet sensation, with memes showing him visiting tourist attractions and dining at a Waffle House Photograph: Rutherford County Sheriff's office/Reuters Emperor penguins on the sea ice close to Halley research station on the Brunt ice shelf. Antarctica's emperor penguin population may be decreasing faster than we thought, and they are expected to be extinct by the end of the century, reveals the British Antarctic Survey. New analysis of satellite imagery suggests the birds' numbers have declined by a staggering 22% over a 14-year period in parts of the continent Photograph: Christopher Walton/British Antarctic Survey/SWNS Lunch break … pelicans take over the benches in St James's Park, London, UK Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images This tortoise was seized at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj international airport in Mumbai, India. It was taken from a passenger arriving from Thailand, who, officials said, was carrying nearly 100 wild creatures intended for trafficking, including lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums Photograph: Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB)/AFP/Getty Images A great egret chick begs its mother for a fish at Lake Eola park in Orlando, Florida, US Photograph: Ronen Tivony/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock A fox rests in its enclosure at a dedicated vulpine rescue centre, The Fox Project, near Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK Photograph: Frank Augstein/AP Griffon vultures squabble over scraps distributed by the Ornithological Group of Huesca at a feeding site for scavenger birds near Nueno in northeastern Spain Photograph: Ander Gillenea/AFP/Getty Images These four hungry and exhausted wolf pups were taken into care after being found in Van, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images A swan dozes on its nest in St James's Park, London, UK Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters A beetle rests on wild parsnip flowers in Funks Grove, Illinois, US Photograph: Alan Look/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock Pearl mullet swim against the current during their annual migration to their breeding grounds from Lake Van, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images This humpback whale was spotted earlier this week south of Sydney Harbour, Australia, in distress after it became entangled in ropes. Trailing a buoy, it was seen heading south when it should have been migrating northwards – a sure sign of distress. Rescue teams are watching for an opportunity to approach it and cut the ropes Photograph: Steve Trikoulis/ ORRCA A young groundhog pokes its head out in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada Photograph: NurPhoto/Shutterstock Living up to its name, a cattle egret flies on to the back of a cow in Dharamshala, India Photograph: Ashwini Bhatia/AP An adult periodical cicada sheds its nymphal skin in Cincinnati, Ohio, US. It has two large compound eyes, which are used to visually perceive the world around them, and three small, jewel-like simple eyes called ocelli Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP Common blue butterflies bask in the sun on a high-altitude plain in Sarıkamış district, Kars, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Seals rest on a breakwater log near the Boston Harbor marina in Olympia, Washington, US Photograph: Jenny Kane/AP Gazelles roam in a field in Israel near the border with Gaza Photograph: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images A stingray among seagrasses in Kas district of Antalya, Turkey. The seagrass is known as the 'lungs of the Mediterranean' because it is so efficient at soaking up carbon dioxide – much more so than rainforest. However, it is in decline, threatened by rising sea temperatures and anchor damage Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images A scarlet tiger caterpillar crawls along at Toronto Botanical Garden in Ontario, Canada. Although it's not scarlet itself, in butterfly form it has beautifully vivid red wings Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images A tawny owl keeps watch in the woodland of Uludağ, a mountain in Bursa, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Fallow deer explore a large new enclosure in Greenwich Park, London, UK. A herd of eight fallow and red deer has been introduced to the park after a previous herd was relocated to Richmond Park in 2021, ahead of construction and renovation works. Their paddock has been enlarged and improved to incorporate new access to woodland Photograph:A group of weaver ants attack a slender ant in a forested area near Tehatta, West Bengal, India Photograph: Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Veterinarians and rangers from Kenya Wildlife Services rush to catch a sedated female eastern black rhinoceros that has been selected for translocation to Segera rhino sanctuary. Her home in Lake Nakuru national park has become congested, authorities say, so she and 20 others are being relicated to an area where the species was once endemic but died out due to human encroachment and poaching Photograph: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images


Malay Mail
09-06-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
The cry of a mother: A call for sustainable action to protect wildlife
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — On May 11, 2025, as the world celebrated Mother's Day, a grieving mother elephant stood beside her lifeless calf which was under a lorry along the East-West Highway. The footage of her standing by her calf's body, unwilling to leave, struck a nerve across the nation. The young calf had been struck by a lorry carrying poultry near KM80 of the Gerik-Jeli stretch, a critical wildlife crossing area within the Belum-Temengor Forest Reserve and a significant component of Malaysia's Central Forest Spine (CFS). For hours, the mother elephant remained by her fallen calf's side — a silent testament to the depth of their bond and a powerful call for urgent lasting action that not only prevents such tragedies but secures a future where wildlife and people can co-exist, sustainably and safely. This tragedy was not an isolated incident. Just last November, a tiger met the same fate on this very road. In recent years, this highway, which cuts through the heart of the CFS — a crucial ecological network stretching from Kedah to Johor — has become perilous for Malaysia's most endangered species. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, 2,361 wild animals have been killed by vehicles since 2020. Among them were eight Asian elephants, and since 2023, six Malayan tigers — a devastating toll for a species with fewer than 150 left in the wild. Now, we mourn yet another tragic loss — an elephant struck down on a highway that cuts through its ancestral habitat. Each death is not just a number — it edges these species closer to extinction and reflects a collective failure to safeguard our natural heritage. The critically endangered Malayan tiger photographed deep within the Central Forest Spine. — Picture courtesy of Nuvista Media As the philanthropic arm of Sime Darby Berhad, SD Guthrie Berhad, and Sime Darby Property Berhad, Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) is deeply invested in safeguarding Malaysia's natural heritage. Since 2017, more than RM33.7 million has been channelled into environmental efforts across the CFS region — one of the last strongholds for species like the Asian elephant, Malayan tiger, and countless lesser-known but ecologically important species. Since 2012, YSD's almost RM9.5 million investment in the Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME) has driven long-term research and practical innovations. These include GPS collaring of wild elephants, the deployment of bioacoustics monitoring, camera trap networks, and early warning systems in high-risk zones to mitigate human-elephant conflict and reduce the risk of collisions. In parallel, MEME works with local communities and plantation estates to translate research findings into actionable strategies that mitigate conflict and strengthen incident response, towards improving co-existence and minimising risks to both people and wildlife. Wild elephants observed at a roadside with little to no barriers in between. — Picture courtesy of MEME/Alicia Solana-Mena 'This tragic incident is yet another urgent reminder that this is a road that cuts across important wildlife habitats. We need tolerance and precautionary actions from road users to help increase safety for all,' said Dr Wong Ee Phin, Principal Investigator of MEME and Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. 'Elephants are highly intelligent and social animals. The death of one affects an entire herd. Over a decade of research into their behaviours around roads must now translate into decisive action.' This tragedy has only reinforced YSD's long-standing commitment to protecting Malaysia's biodiversity. As a long-time funder and advocate for conservation in the Central Forest Spine, YSD has worked closely with civil society organisations, researchers, communities, and policymakers to address threats to wildlife through sustained, science-driven solutions. In the days that followed the tragedy, YSD convened strategic consultations with their core conservation partners and a broader group of stakeholders across government, NGOs, academia and the private sector strengthening relationships and building new connections. These sessions revisited collision data, assessed mitigation gaps, and outlined practical, long-term interventions. But this is only the beginning. YSD is committed to leading that journey to prevent future tragedies, strengthen coordination and bring in more voices — including from the infrastructure and transport sectors with coexistence as the outcome, not just conservation. 'YSD has supported the Central Forest Spine with various initiatives for over a decade. What's urgently needed now is a coordinated, long-term impact approach — and we're committed to driving that forward,' said Puan Sri Normah Hashim, Governing Council Member of YSD. 'We are also working with partners like PLUS Malaysia Berhad, whose expertise in highway infrastructure and safety solutions is critical to ensuring the success of this effort.' YSD's work in Perak has centred on enabling co-existence in and around the Belum-Temengor forest complex. Through partnerships with Perak State Parks Corporation (PSPC), Tiger Protection Society of Malaysia (RIMAU), and Tropical Rainforest Conservation & Research Centre (TRCRC), these efforts have led to over 2,400 anti-poaching patrols, the training of more than 30 Orang Asli rangers under RIMAU, 38 rangers from the local community under PSPC, as well as the restoration of 30 hectares of degraded forest. These place-based initiatives have strengthened critical habitats for tigers and elephants and safeguarded endangered tree species, contributing to long-term biodiversity in the Central Forest Spine. 'Belum-Temengor forms part of a critical ecological corridor that is already under significant pressure. While we are working to restore degraded areas such as the Amanjaya Forest Reserve to improve habitat and strengthen connectivity, these efforts alone are not enough. 'Making a meaningful difference requires collaboration across all sectors. At present, the most pressing concern is the road and the complex issues surrounding it. Without a shared commitment to address this, we risk undoing decades of conservation progress.' stressed Dr Dzaeman Dzulkifli, Executive Director, TRCRC. While recognising the government's existing efforts — including wildlife crossings, signages, and certain structural measures along the Gerik-Jeli highway — this recent tragedy clearly indicates that current provisions are insufficient. The persistence of wildlife fatalities necessitates further urgent interventions – for long term impact. Among immediate feasible measures, average-speed enforcement — rather than isolated speed traps — can help ensure consistent safe speeds along wildlife-sensitive zones. Likewise, limiting heavy vehicle access along this highway during night hours, as successfully done in India's Bandipur Tiger Reserve, could help cut roadkill. With the East Coast Rail Link and alternative logistics corridors in development, Malaysia has options to shift freight patterns away from critical habitats. In the longer term, more investment is needed for public safety and national biodiversity protection, such as dedicated wildlife viaducts, strategic fencing, lighting technologies and vehicle movement and speed control, that reduce wildlife-road interactions without affecting nocturnal species' behaviour or the essential movement of commercial vehicles at night. 'There are broader environmental issues at play. Habitat fragmentation and forest encroachment are forcing wildlife, including elephants and tigers, to cross major roads in search of food and shelter,' said Lara Ariffin, President of RIMAU. 'The safety of our wildlife cannot be separate from human safety. Without comprehensive safeguards along highways like Gerik-Jeli, we risk losing not only wildlife but human lives as well.' YSD remains committed to supporting Malaysia's conservation priorities through actionable science, infrastructure cooperation, and community engagement. Protecting the CFS landscape — and within it, the Belum-Temengor ecosystem — requires coordinated effort, stronger policy alignment, and sustained investment. 'Thriving populations of large mammals are a strong indicator of a healthy, intact ecosystem. Their conservation requires vast, connected landscapes and the collaboration of many stakeholders through well-coordinated efforts,' said Lau Ching Fong, Acting Director of PSPC. 'Support from corporate partners like Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) plays a crucial role in providing the resources needed to protect and preserve this shared natural heritage for all Malaysians.' The mother elephant's cry must not be forgotten. Let this tragedy mark the moment Malaysia chooses true coexistence — not just in principle but through sustainable actions from a collective national conscience that values long-term impact. Our response today will shape whether future generations inherit a land shared with our precious elephants and tigers, or only the memory of their final cries.


Malay Mail
08-06-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Mother elephant refuses to leave trapped calf at Kemaman plantation as Perhilitan conducts rescue; pair safely returns to forest
KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — The Terengganu Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) rescued a wild elephant calf caught in a rope snare at an oil palm plantation near Felda Neram II, Kemaman last Thursday. State Perhilitan director Loo Kean Seong said they received information about the incident at around 2.30pm before deploying six personnel to the scene. 'Upon arrival, we found a young elephant caught in a cow rope snare around its leg, with five adult elephants nearby,' he said, as reported by Utusan Malaysia. 'Perhilitan officers sedated the female elephant believed to be the calf's mother and drove the others away before cutting the rope,' he said. Loo said the calf did not suffer serious injuries and was found to be in stable condition. The mother was later given an antidote to reverse the sedative and safely rejoined her herd. A video of the incident, which has gone viral, showed the mother elephant refusing to leave her calf's side, even as the other elephants moved away. According to Sinar Harian, the snare was believed to have been set up by cattle farmers who use the plantation as a grazing area. 'There were reports of wild elephants disturbing the plantation that morning, and workers had tried to drive them out,' Loo said. 'It is likely the calf was separated and became trapped while trying to return to the forest,' he added.