Almost 2,400 wild animals killed on Malaysian roads since 2020, says Nik Nazmi

CHUKAI: A total of 2,361 wild animals have been killed by vehicles nationwide since 2020, says Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister said Pahang was the state with the highest recorded number of animal deaths on roads with 765, followed by Perak (478), Kelantan (224), Terengganu (201) and Negri Sembilan (187).

"Eight elephants were killed – one in 2020, two each in 2021 and 2024, and three deaths this year (including the death of the baby elephant on May 11).

"There is a slight increase in deaths of Malayan Tigers. None were recorded from 2020 to 2022 but there was one in 2023, three in 2024 and one so far in 2025," he told reporters after a vehicle enforcement operation here today.

He said the government conducts various initiatives to curb wildlife deaths on roads, including an increased allocation of RM250mil for 2025 to enable state governments to increase forest reserve areas and also to create more elephant sanctuaries in Johor, Pahang, Perak and Terengganu.

A video of a baby elephant killed by a lorry and its mother attempting to move the lorry to save it went viral on social media on Sunday.

Another video clip on social media has surfaced showing an adult elephant walking along what is believed to be the Gerik-Jeli stretch of the East-West highway.

Netizens quickly linked that video with the female elephant whose calf died in the accident on Sunday (May 11), and they suggested it is back to look for her baby.

However, Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director Yusoff Shariff when contacted, said he was not sure whether it was the same elephant or a different one.

He, however, thinks it is a different elephant, because female elephants rarely move around alone, and they (Perhilitan) believe that the mother elephant has already joined a herd.

Nik Nazmi had said last November that speed limit in roadkill hotspots should be reviewed so drivers will slow down.

Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi had proposed the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology and artificial intelligence (AI) through motion detection devices at wildlife roadkill hotspots to minimise collisions with tigers and other wildlife. — Additional reporting from The Star, other sources