Kuala Terengganu, April 28 — The lack of road and outdoor activities due to the Movement Control Order (MCO) has led to numerous wildlife encounters on the streets of Malaysia.
A 21-second video posted by Info Bencana Terengganu on Facebook last Sunday shows four elephants walking near a petrol station in Kenyir, Terengganu.
The Terengganu Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) later confirmed that they received reports of the sighting.
Terengganu Perhilitan director Abdul Malek Mohd Yusof urged the public not to panic and report to them immediately if they come across wildlife animals.
“We will send in officers to identify and assist if there’s a threat to the residents of the area.”
“There’s also a possibility that the location is a passing route for the animals,” he told Bernama.
He also said that the lack of human activities during MCO had caused the animals to comfortably roam to find food.
After further investigation, it turned out that the petrol station used to be an old route for wild elephants but had not been used by them in a while.
Since the MCO began, there have been numerous reports of wildlife encounters all around Malaysia.
Just last Wednesday in Pahang, a tapir was found lying in a drain with stab wounds on its back and died because of the wounds it suffered.
Earlier this month, Perhilitan Johor rescued a wandering male tapir in Jementah before releasing it back to Endau Rompin National Park.
A wild boar was also recorded roaming freely in a neighbourhood in Lorong Galing, Kuantan.
