SEREMBAN - A lorry driver who was attacked by a black panther while stopping at Bukit Tangga here last Thursday received more than 30 stitches on his head.
A. Suresh, 54, who lives in Klang, Selangor, was discharged from the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital here after receiving treatment for three days.
He said he was grateful to have only sustained injuries from the animal’s claws, but admitted that he was still traumatised.
"Until now, I still can’t sleep soundly because I keep reliving the moment the tiger attacked me. I don’t even know where it came from. It was truly shocking and terrifying," he told Sinar.
Recounting the incident, the father of two said he was on his way back to Kuala Lumpur after delivering chicken feed in Jelebu.
He explained that he had stopped at the location to check on his lorry.
"While I was washing my hands, the tiger leapt on me and tried to bite my head, but I managed to shove a water bottle into its mouth.
"If I hadn’t done that, I would definitely be dead. The wounds on my head were only from its claws," he said.
He added that he was lucky because another vehicle stopped in front of him and helped contact an ambulance.
Suresh who worked as a lorry driver for 25 years advised other lorry drivers and road users to be cautious when passing through the area and to only stop in safe locations.
"In my six years of traveling back and forth to Jelebu, I’ve never seen a black panther there before.
"The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) visited me in the hospital and told me the tiger that attacked me was estimated to weigh between 80 to 90 kilogrammes," Suresh said.
He also did not expect the incident to go viral on social media, which led to many people visiting him in the hospital.
The incident which was caught on a dashcam video recorded by a vehicle went viral on social media.