The Story of an Elephant's Revenge on Humans in Hulu Perak
The 1962 incident of an elephant rampaging in revenge against humans, which shocked the nation, was caused by the cruel nature of humans themselves. The story goes that on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 4, 1962, an old wild elephant was shot dead during a search and hunt mission in the forests of Gerik, Hulu Perak, after it had killed an elderly woman. Mr. James Aw, the Acting Chief Game Warden who participated in the operation, stated that upon examining the carcass of the old wild elephant, many old wounds caused by bullets were found. By looking at the old bullet wounds, it can be concluded that the old wild elephant suffered due to human actions, which caused it to become wild and perceive humans as a danger to itself. Warnings are frequently given to the public who enjoy hunting in the forest not to shoot elephants or other animals indiscriminately to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future. During the 1962 era, not many people owned rifles capable of killing an elephant. Due to a lack of awareness regarding the importance of nature, irresponsible hunters would only injure elephants to drive them away when they encountered them. Regarding the incident of the elephant rampaging in revenge against humans, a police report was made by a group of tobacco farmers who were acquaintances of the victim. According to the report, a group of tobacco farmers, including the victim, were walking through the forest to reach their tobacco farm. While on their way, they encountered a very large old elephant.
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Before they could do anything, the old elephant immediately charged and wrapped its trunk around the victim. The victim was a 54-year-old woman named Lau Chai. After wrapping the victim until she was limp, the elephant threw her about 27 meters away. Not satisfied with that, the victim was also trampled by the elephant until she was no longer alive. The actions of the old wild elephant seemed to be an act of vengeance against humans who had once hurt it, even if they were different individuals. Its hatred for mankind was clearly visible.
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Lau Chai's acquaintances who were at the scene managed to escape and immediately reported the matter to the police. Subsequently, a search and hunt operation for the elephant was carried out by 4 officers from the Perak Game Department, led by Mr. Ayer Shah Bin Mohamed Panjang. Mr. Ayer Shah was the individual who had saved Mr. James Aw in 1960 when 3 elephants suddenly charged and attacked Mr. James Aw while he was in the forest in the Sungkai district. With Mr. Ayer Shah's quick action, Mr. James Aw's life was saved by bringing down the attacking elephant with a single shot from close range. The old wild elephant that attacked Lau Chai was 9 feet tall, and its foot diameter measured 18 inches. Its tusks weighed 20 kg, and the elephant's age was estimated to be around 40 years old. This story is a true event that was recorded to serve as a guide and lesson for us today so that past mistakes are not repeated. References:
- Berita Harian, 5 May 1962
