A grieving mother elephant has been filmed headbutting a lorry after her calf was run over and killed as the pair crossed a highway on Mother's Day.

The accident occurred on the East-West Highway (Jalan Raya Timur-Barat, JRTB) in the Malaysian state of Perak, a province on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, at around 2am on 11th May.

Officials said the young male elephant, estimated to be five years old, was killed instantly when it was struck by a lorry transporting chickens.

The mother elephant, believed to be between 25 and 27 years old and weighing approximately 2.2 tonnes, was captured on video trying to move the lorry with her head as she stood over the motionless body of her calf.

She remained at the scene for hours, refusing to leave, and was eventually tranquillised and pulled back into the nearby forest by wildlife officials.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Works confirmed on 11th May that MYR 4 million (GBP 675,000) had been allocated to install street lights at 39 elephant crossing hotspots, including in Perak, Pahang, Kelantan, Kedah, and Johor.

Elephants carry their young for 22 months, the longest gestation period of any land mammal.

They also known to 'mourn' other dead elephant and even bury them by covering them with dirt or branches.