Wild elephant causes a stir in Thai grocery store

Videos of the incident show the enormous male elephant named Plai Biang Lek pausing just outside the store, which is located next to a main road near Khao Yai National Park in northeastern Thailand, before leaning his entire body inside.

The elephant stopped at the shop counter, calmly grabbed snacks and chewed on them, undeterred by national park staff attempting to drive him away.

The elephant later left the store, still holding a bag of snacks in his trunk. He left only minor damage, apart from mud tracks on the floor and ceiling of the shop.

In a video posted on social media, shop owner Kamploy Kakaew appeared amused as she described the moment the elephant rummaged through her store. She said he had eaten around nine bags of sweet rice crackers, a sandwich, and some dried bananas she had purchased that morning.

Kamploy said the elephant left without injuring anyone, once he had obtained his snacks.

Danai Sookkanthachat, a volunteer park ranger familiar with the elephant, said that Plai Biang Lek, who is around 30 years old, is a familiar sight in the area and is known for breaking into people's homes in search of food. This was the first time he had seen him enter a grocery store.

After leaving the store, he opened the bedroom window of another house.

Danai said that wild elephants in Khao Yai National Park have been coming out of the forests for many years to raid people's kitchens, but this year he has observed them venturing to increasingly random locations in search of food.

According to the Ministry of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Thailand had an estimated 4’000 wild elephants in 2024. As farmers encroach into forests for agriculture, elephants are forced to leave their shrinking habitats in search of food, leading to confrontations that can prove fatal.