THE BABY ELEPHANT CRIED FOR DAYS, ALONE AND CONFUSED—HER MOTHER GONE, HER WORLD SHATTERED, HER TEARS FALLING INTO SILENCE.

In Indonesia, there are various sad stories of elephant calves being separated from their mothers due to the actions of hunters.

The tragedy of a baby elephant being hit by a truck in Malaysia and the heartbreaking reaction of its mother has captured the attention of netizens over the past week. Not only in Malaysia, but the video circulating on social media has also garnered sympathy from the Indonesian public.

From The Straits Times report, the accident occurred on the East-West Highway (JRTB), Gerik-Jeli, Perak state, Malaysia, Sunday (11/5/2025) at 02.00 local time. In the video circulating on the internet, a mother elephant is seen standing on the side of a truck.

Local officers had to sedate the mother elephant to calm her down. After the third sedation, the mother elephant, who had lost her calf, was finally able to be relocated from the accident site.

Some time after the accident, the mother was reported to have been seen approaching the accident site. The adult elephant was then taken back into the forest.

The heartbreaking story has gone viral in the online world. On social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, there are thousands of similar videos uploaded by netizens, garnering millions of views. Netizens have commented on the incident with great empathy.

The sad stories experienced by elephants due to the disruption of their living space are not only occurring in Malaysia. In Indonesia, there are various heartbreaking tales of baby elephants separated from their mothers due to the actions of poachers.

Erin, a 4-year-old Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) with a severed trunk, is currently being cared for and maintained at the Elephant Training Center of Way Kambas National Park, Lampung, on Tuesday (20/3). Erin’s trunk was severed due to a poacher’s snare in the vicinity of the national park.

However, the condition of the baby elephant turned out to be getting worse. The mother finally took her baby to the edge of the forest.

The animal was subsequently evacuated by the TNWK team and taken to the Prof. Dr. Rubini Atmawidjaja Elephant Hospital in TNWK. The attending physician provided intravenous fluids, medications, and adequate food until the small elephant recovered and was healthy.