Elephants are truly fascinating creatures. Every time I learn something about them I’m flummoxed at how intelligent and perceptive they are. These giants use their trunks to suck up water, they can stand just 20 minutes after birth, and they use vibrations to communicate. They even have the capacity to mourn human companions. They also, however, are apparently vengeful creatures and will seek out justice against anyone they perceived to have harmed them.
Sadly, a man died after being the recipient of their wrath, trampled twice by a herd of wild elephants in Malaysia. People reported that logger Saidi Jahari, 43, was found by his coworkers on the morning of October 29, 2025, after a second attack by the herd on their logging company site.
Saidi and five of his colleagues were sleeping in tents when they originally heard and smelled the elephants approaching, according to The Vibes. Although most of them were able to get back to safety, Saidi was unable to escape and was found with two broken legs.
Free Malaysia Today reported that after the workers found him, they gave him temporary shelter in a tent, but the herd returned to attack again. The workers escaped the attack the second time but left the injured man behind.
“A search found him lying dead on the exit road, with severe injuries believed to be from the elephant trampling him,” Gua Musang Police Chief Sik Choon Foo told the outlet.
Saidi’s brother Sulaiman Jahari, 32, told The Vibes he saw his big brother last 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.
Logging, the process of cutting down trees for them to be processed into paper or lumber, can have pretty profound effects on a habitat. Despite reduced-impact practices, logging changes the composition and structure of vegetation and can lead to changes in spatial use for elephants.
In India, an elephant attacked Maya Murmu, 68, who was collecting water near her village when she was trampled, per Fox 26. She ultimately died of her injuries. During her funeral, villagers were stunned to see an elephant stampede tearing through the town. As folks fled and took cover, they say one of the elephants reportedly attack the woman’s corpse by picking up the body and tossing it in the air.
To me, that sounds pretty personal.
