A viral video of three elephants sent from Malaysia to a zoo in Japan has sparked public anger after online users said the animals appeared distressed when visitors called their names in Malay – which many viewers interpreted as a sign of homesickness.

The footage showed the three pachyderms – Dara, Amoi and Kelat – responding to the Malaysian visitors, while another widely shared clip led social media users to claim one of the elephants appeared to be “weeping”.

Other clips and images circulating online have fuelled concern over what viewers described as a concrete enclosure, while earlier criticism centred on damage to one of Kelat’s tusks, which Malaysian wildlife authorities later said had been treated for veterinary reasons.

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The backlash has turned the animals’ relocation from Zoo Taiping and Night Safari (ZTNS) in Perak to the Tennoji Zoo in Osaka into a wider debate over wildlife welfare and Malaysia’s responsibility for animals sent overseas.

The elephants were relocated in March under a Malaysian Elephant Conservation programme for breeding and research, according to Perak officials.

Amoi, Kelat and Dara drink from a concrete pool at the Elephants at the Tennoji Zoo. Photo: Threads/cutehanxyu
Amoi, Kelat and Dara drink from a concrete pool at the Elephants at the Tennoji Zoo. Photo: Threads/cutehanxyu

Amoi, aged nine, Dara, 14, and Kelat, 20, remained the property of the state zoo, Perak Housing and Local Government Committee chair Sandrea Ng said in April, adding that they had not been sold or changed owners.