BANGKOK — A hungry wild elephant caused havoc in a grocery store in Thailand on Monday when he strolled in from a nearby national park and helped himself to food on the shelves.
The elephant stopped in front of the shop’s counter, calmly snatching and chomping snacks, and did not flinch as the national park workers tried to shoo him away.
The elephant later backed out of the shop still holding a bag of snacks with his trunk.
Kamploy said the elephant left without hurting anyone after getting his snacks.
There were an estimated 4,000 wild elephants in Thailand in 2024, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
BANGKOK — A hungry wild elephant wreaked havoc in a Thai grocery store on Monday after wandering in from a nearby national park and starting to eat food off the shelves.
The enormous male elephant, Plai Biang Lek, was captured on camera momentarily stopping in front of the store, which is next to a major road close to Khao Yai National Park in northeastern Thailand, before retreating completely inside.
When the national park staff attempted to shoo the elephant away, he stopped in front of the counter and calmly snatched and chomped on snacks without flinching.
Later, while still carrying a bag of snacks in his trunk, the elephant retreated from the store. Apart from muddy footprints on the shop’s floor and ceiling, he caused minimal damage.
The store owner, Kamploy Kakaew, looked amused as she recounted the incident in a social media video of the elephant rifling through her store. He consumed a sandwich, some dried bananas she had purchased that morning, and roughly nine bags of sweet rice crackers, according to her.
After obtaining his snacks, the elephant departed without causing harm to anyone, according to Kamploy.
A volunteer park worker who knows the elephant, Danai Sookkanthachat, said Plai Biang Lek, a 30-year-old elephant, is a common sight in the area and has been known to break into people’s homes in quest of food. He had never seen him enter a grocery store before.
He told The Associated Press that after leaving the store, he proceeded to open a window in another home’s bedroom.
Danai claimed that although wild elephants in the Khao Yai National Park region have long emerged from the forest to raid people’s kitchens, he has noticed that this year they are now foraging in more unlikely locations.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation estimates that Thailand’s wild elephant population was 4,000 in 2024. Elephants have been compelled to leave their dwindling habitats in pursuit of food as farmers encroach on forests for farming, which can result in potentially fatal encounters.
