Teachers counsel depressed 'Mowgli Of Malaysia'

Malaysia's own Mowgli has skipped school for over a week following the mass death of the family buffaloes, and his teachers are getting worried.

They hope Muhammad Syukur Khamis, 15, will not become withdrawn due to the death of almost half of a herd of 110 animals, among which were his favourite buffaloes Semek and Tongkol, in his village of Kampung Kubang Bujuk.

The Kampung Boy, as he is also known after he gained international fame for his affinity to the animals, could afford a smile a couple of days ago when Semek was still alive but he has become depressed now that the animal too has succumbed to the bacterial infection.

Muhammad Syukur's teachers feel that counselling is the best way to make sure that the Form Three student's education remains unaffected by the trauma he is going through.

The Guidance and Counselling Unit of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Padang Midin has stepped in to ease the trauma.

Teacher Siti Rokiah Abdullah said Muhammad Syukur will be counselled from time to time and that several teachers are taking turns to talk to him.

She said the teenager is not just a student of the school but an icon who has popularised the country after photographs of him frolicking with the buffaloes went viral on social media and won awards for the photographers.

“On the first day of the death of some of the buffaloes, the school principal (Khairi Mohd Nor) and senior assistant for student affairs (Zaki Mohd Nor) called on Muhammad Syukur and his family to provide them with moral support,” said Siti Rokiah.

Yesterday, several representatives of the school management and teachers’ club visited the boy to ensure that he remains resilient during this difficult period, she said when contacted by Bernama.

Since Sept 9, fifty-two of the 110 buffaloes belonging Muhammad Syukur's father Khamis Jusoh had died, eliciting sympathy from Malaysians around the country.

Bernama reporters who went to the farm a few days ago found Muhammad Syukur, with deep sadness, caressing the dead animals and helping to bury them.

Replying to a question, Zaki said the school understood the boy's situation and will not take any disciplinary action against him for missing classes.

“We understand that this whole thing is a trying time, especially for a person his age. Imagine, he used to enjoy the company of his buffalo 'friends’ and now, all of a sudden, almost half of them are gone.

“The school will help Syukur to manage his emotions and be stable enough to return to classes as soon as possible,” he said.

Muhammad Syukur began frolicking with the buffaloes from an early age and was able to 'tame’ Semek when he was just nine.

The photographs of him playing with over 100 buffaloes went viral on social media and won accolades for the photographers at the international level, and the teenager has been sought after by photographers from many countries.

The buffalo farm in Kampung Kubang Bujuk is currently out of bounds to the public. The healthy animals have been injected with antibiotics by the Terengganu Department of Veterinary Services.

-- BERNAMA