Wild Elephants Broke a Man’s Legs in a Sudden Attack. Then, They Returned Later the Same Night and Killed Him

A 43-year-old man, identified as Saidi Jahari, was killed in a wild elephant attack while working at a logging site in Malaysia.

Saidi’s body was discovered by his coworkers on the morning of October 29 in the Gua Musang district in northern Malaysia, according to local outlets including Malay Mail, Free Malaysia Today, and The Vibes.

District Police Superintendent Sik Choon Foo explained that the fatal encounter unfolded in two stages. Saidi, who was the site supervisor, and five coworkers were sleeping in tents when they heard and smelled elephants approaching on the evening of October 28, according to The Vibes. The workers fled into the nearby woods for safety, but Saidi was unable to escape.

When the others returned several hours later, they found Saidi alive but severely injured, with both legs broken.

“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,” Sik said, as quoted by The Vibes.

The men fled once more, leaving Saidi behind. When they came back after the elephants left, they found him missing. A search of the area later revealed Saidi’s body on a nearby path, showing injuries consistent with being trampled by an elephant.

Authorities said the Department of Wildlife and National Parks has been alerted and is attempting to locate and contain the herd, per The Vibes.

Saidi’s younger brother, Sulaiman Jahari, 32, told The Vibes that he last saw his brother during a holiday celebration.
“I did not expect that it would be our final meeting. Usually, he was quiet and did not talk much about work, but during dinner he was cheerful and lively,” he said.

Sulaiman added that Saidi had worked in the logging industry for about 30 years, but had only been at the Gua Musang site for roughly two weeks.
“This area was newly opened for logging. During all his years of work, he had never spoken about encounters with wild animals,” he said.