Compiled by TARRENCE TAN and R. ARAVINTHAN
APART from the slow-moving traffic and packed R&R (rest and relaxation) areas during the festive balik kampung drive, a group of motorists had to contend with an extra stressful journey on the East-West Highway that connects the northern region to Kelantan.
On Saturday, some of those driving along the Tasik Banding stretch in Gerik, Perak, had to evade a herd of 10 wild elephants, according to Berita Harian.
Nurse Fairuz Mat Ghani, 37, was in a car with her husband Muhammad Ariff Abdullah, 33, and their two daughters heading to Kampung Alor Stol in Alor Pasir, near Tanah Merah, Kelantan, when the encounter occurred at about 7pm.
The herd was walking by the side of the highway and motorists were carefully swerving around the animals.
“The elephants were quite aggressive, and one tried to chase our vehicles, forcing us to quickly reverse. We were frightened but thankfully, we were unharmed.
“Once we saw the herd head back into the forest, we continued our journey,” she said.
Fairuz and her family have been travelling between her hometown of Tanah Merah and Ipoh, where she has been working for over 15 years.
“We often encounter elephants during our trips, but they are usually not aggressive,” she added.
> The daily also reported that local singer Nadeera Zaini has a message for all the parents and children this Hari Raya Aidilfitri – be extra careful with fireworks or lose an eye.
The 32-year-old was particularly concerned about this after being almost blinded during a firecrackers mishap when she was a child.
“It happened when I was three or four years old. As a child, I was excited to play with fireworks,” said the singer whose full name is Farah Nadeera Zaini.
“One of my cousins accidentally poked a sparkler near my eye. Luckily, it didn’t hit my eye directly, but just caused a minor injury. Otherwise, I would have been blind.
“I hope parents and children are careful when playing with fireworks.
“It’s fun to play during the festive Syawal month, but safety must always come first,” she said when attending an event recently.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
