Herd Of Elephants Trying To Cross Johor Road Amuses Passersby

The road in Kahang is considered to be one of the popular hotspot for elephants to cross.

(Credit: @matyassim / TikTok)

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Recently, a TikTok user (@matyassim) in Johor shared a video of a herd of elephants he saw near the Sri Lambak road heading towards Kahang Timur last Thursday (21 September).

The one-minute-and-11-second video went viral and garnered 230 K views at the time of writing.

In the video, a group of elephants was seen huddling near the road while the leader appeared to check if it was safe to cross. It looked like there were about 20 to 30 elephants.

Amused, road users stopped in their tracks and made way for the animals to pass.

To see one elephant is difficult enough but a herd including babies and teens? Such an astonishing view.

For your information, Jalan Kahang-Jamaluang, Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing and Jalan Kluang-Kota Tinggi are the main three elephant crossing areas in Johor.

Based on data in 2019, only 120 to 160 elephants are left in Johor which includes the districts of Segamat, Mersing, Kota Tinggi and Kluang.

Because of the frequent conflict between humans and elephants in Johor, the Johor government has opened a conservation area called the Johor Elephant Sanctuary (JES) in Kota Tinggi.

Currently, the first phase of the sanctuary is completed which involves the elephant enclosures, a parade ground, a bridge, the main entrance road, and administrative buildings as well as staff quarters.

The second project is currently underway, which includes building visitor facility activities, electric fence monitoring and equipment, early warning systems, landscape development, and joint programs with the local community.

The development of the sanctuary is estimated to be completed in 2025 and it will open its doors to the public later on that year.

@matyassim #kahangtimur #kluang #gajah ♬ original sound – matyassim

Friendly elephant waves “Bye” at Tasik Kenyir

In a separate story, a TikTok user (@bohjankl) shared an amazing scene captured while he was on vacation with his family at Tasik Kenyir in Terengganu two weeks ago.

While cruising in the lake with a houseboat, they had a chance to witness a small family of elephants swimming in the lake. According to the TikTok user, the family consists of the mother, father and baby swimming together.

This is actually such a rare sight to behold and one can only imagine how majestic these wildlife creatures are.

But that’s not all, after the four-legged-mammals reached the shore, a few children in the houseboat said “bye” to them loudly. To their surprise, the biggest elephant heard the greeting and WAVED BACK with its trunk.

Now isn’t that a friendly neighbour?

@bohjankl Korang kene pergi.. Best gila..🥰 trima kasih pada @rezekihouseboat02 sbb bwak kami ke tempat² menarik..🥰🥰 #rezekihouseboat2 #tasikkenyir #houseboat #terengganu #percutian #fyp #fishing #mancing #holiday ♬ Legend – Marcos Yap

For your information, there are approximately 1,220 – 1,680 elephants in Malaysia according to data in 2022.

In the peninsular, they are mainly found in states such as Kedah, Perak, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan.

Their population has been rapidly declining over the years because of human development, illegal poaching and climate change.

Chased away due to deforestation, these creatures have no place to roam, which explains the frequent human and elephant conflict.

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