This is the heart-wrenching moment a mother elephant desperately tried to save her calf after it was fatally struck by a truck.

Footage showed the grieving pachyderm standing beside the lorry, refusing to abandon her baby's side following the tragic road accident in Perak, Malaysia.

Witnesses said she appeared visibly distressed and even attempted to push the vehicle in a display of rage and sorrow during the incident on May 11.

The five-year-old calf's lifeless body could be seen wedged beneath the front of the lorry.

Gerik police chief Superintendent Zulkifli Mahmood confirmed the truck driver, 28, who was transporting chickens from Gerik to Jeli, could not stop in time when the young elephant suddenly dashed onto the road. The calf reportedly died at the scene.

He said: 'Before the collision, the driver saw an adult elephant grazing by the roadside. Believing it was safe to proceed, he continued driving, but the calf suddenly ran out.'

The driver was reportedly unharmed and has not been charged in relation to the incident.

Officers from the Perak Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department later arrived at the scene.

The female elephant, still standing over her calf, was eventually sedated and relocated to a nearby forest about one kilometre away the following morning.

Department director Yusoff Shariff said: 'The sedative dosage was calculated based on her weight so she could be moved safely. We hope she will find and rejoin a new herd.

'The removal of the carcass was delayed due to the mother elephant's presence, and the crane and bulldozer used struggled to lift and bury it.'

Officials urged motorists to be extra cautious when driving along the East-West Highway, especially at night, as the area is known for frequent wildlife crossings.