| Q. What do you call that crusty brown stuff that forms between elephants' toes? A. Impatient Malays. |
Wait for them to cross and do not honk at them or they could come after you, warns a government official to highway users about elephants reportedly straying onto a main Malaysian highway. Natural Resources and Environment Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Sazmi Miah said motorists honking at elephants could trigger a rampage, state Bernama news agency reported Sunday. “It is safer for motorists to stop their vehicles and wait for the elephants to go into the jungle before continuing their journey,” Sazmi said, according to Bernama. Sazmi’s warning comes after a motorist along the East-West highway was chased by a herd of elephants last week, forcing him to turn west towards Penang island instead of towards eastern Kelantan state where he was headed. As a precautionary measure, to warn motorists of elephants crossing, the Wildlife and National Parks Department would erect signs along the highway, Sazmi said. The signs would include tips on how to ward off wandering jumbos, especially at night.