A man was killed in a wild elephant attack while he was working at a logging site in Malaysia.
Saidi Jahari, 43, was found dead by his co-workers the morning of Oct. 29 in the Gua Musang district in the northern part of the country, according to local news outlets Malay Mail.
Elephants Initially Attacked Saidi's Logging Site, Broke Both His Legs
Sik Choon Foo, the local police superintendent, said the attack occurred in two parts. Saidi, who was the site supervisor, and five of his co-workers were sleeping in tents when they heard and smelled elephants approaching the evening of Oct. 28.
The loggers fled into the woods in a bid to get to safety, but Saidi was unable to escape in time. The loggers returned a few hours later to find Saidi injured with two broken legs.
Leader of the Elephant Herd Returned Later to Trample Saidi to Death
"They brought the victim inside the communal house for temporary protection. However, not long after, a bull elephant, believed to be the herd leader, returned and attacked them again. " The workers once again ran to safety and were forced to leave Saidi behind.
"After the area calmed, the group returned and found the victim was no longer there. Searches nearby discovered Saidi deceased on the exit path, with severe injuries consistent with being trampled by an elephant," Sik said.
Authorities stated that the Department of Wildlife and National Parks was notified and they are currently working to find and contain the herd, per the outlet. "This area was newly opened for logging. During all his years of work, he had never spoken about encounters with wild animals," he said.
Second Such Incident this Year
This isn't the first such incident where an elephant has returned to trample its victim it attacked earlier. In June, India's PTI News Service reported that a 70-year-old woman in the central east Indian state of Odisha was killed by an elephant, only to have the same elephant reportedly return to her funeral to pull her body from a pyre and trample her again before fleeing, police said.
