Rampaging wild elephant kills one and leaves another in critical condition in Malaysia

A rampaging wild elephant killed one person and critically injured another at a school in Malaysia.

The jumbo sparked panic when it wandered close to a Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) school in the Mersing district in Johor state at around 8:30am on September 26.

Despite being warned to stay clear of the animal, school janitors Mohamad Syafik Yakob, 31, and Zalini Dahlan, 49, tried to drive it away using sticks. However, the tusker was spooked by their screams and charged at them instead.

Mohamad was reportedly trampled to death while Zalini was rushed to the Sultan Ismail Hospital in critical condition.

State Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said: 'The elephant was spotted earlier in the morning, but the victims took matters into their own hands and attempted to chase it away at 11am, despite being warned to leave it alone.

'Perhilitan (Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia) officers arrived at the scene about noon, and immediately deployed drones to search for the mammal. However, their efforts were unsuccessful as it had already fled further into the forest.

'The search effort is ongoing… The elephant will be relocated into the forest reserve to ensure similar incidents will not reoccur.'

The elephant was believed to be a young male that was separated from its herd.

Authorities urged residents to keep their distance and never attempt to chase wild animals away on their own.

On August 3, a 75-year-old woman was brutally crushed by an elephant also in Johor.

The unnamed local was reportedly on her way to tap rubber at a plantation when she was trampled by the animal. She was said to have suffered numerous rib fractures, internal bleeding, spinal fractures, and a tear in the heart.