SINGAPORE: An incident with a wild elephant has left a Malaysia wildlife officer seriously wounded, the government in Kuala Lumpur confirmed to Bikyamasr.com on Saturday. “The officer attempted to move to quickly and the elephant defended itself,” a government official in northeastern Malaysia told Bikyamasr.com, adding that “the man is likely to be all right after facing medical treatment.” The victim was among five officers who responded Thursday on complaints from villagers about a herd of wild elephants destroying their farms in the outskirts of Kuala Terengganu town, in the state of Terengganu, about 290 kilometers northeast of the capital, Kuala Lumpur. Yusuff Shariff, Terengganu Wildlife director, said officers were trying to contain the rampaging animals when one attacked the victim, who suffered face and body injuries, including broken ribs. The victim was declared out of danger by doctors who treated him in a nearby hospital. The elephants disappeared into the jungle after the attack. With Malaysian rural villages encroaching on traditional wildlife areas, animal incidents have become more common in recent years, but the government is hopeful that by cracking down on illegal building and clearing of territory, there can be a reduction in the number of incidents such as the one with the elephant on Saturday. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/hNHPK Tags: Elephant, Incident, Malaysia, Wildlife Section: Animals, East Asia
