Hungry elephant raids shop while searching for food

A wild and hungry elephant wandered into a grocery shop near Thailand’s Khao Yai National Park this week, rummaging through shelves and helping himself to a selection of snacks in a brief but memorable encounter.

The incident occurred on Monday and featured Plai Biang Lek, a well-known 30-year-old male elephant in the area.

Videos shared online show the elephant approaching the roadside store before squeezing his large frame inside. He appeared undisturbed by the presence of humans, including national park staff attempting to usher him out.

Surveillance and bystander footage captured Plai Biang Lek lingering near the store’s counter, picking out snack bags with his trunk and munching away. Despite the surprise visit, the elephant caused minimal damage, leaving only muddy footprints and a few ceiling marks behind.

Shop owner Kamploy Kakaew recounted the event with a mix of shock and amusement in a social media video. “He ate about nine bags of sweet rice crackers, a sandwich and some dried bananas she had bought that morning,” she said.

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Volunteer park worker Danai Sookkanthachat, who has monitored the elephant for years, noted that while Plai Biang Lek is often seen near residential areas, this was the first time he had witnessed the animal venture into a store.

“After he left the shop, he went on to open a bedroom window of another house,” he told The Associated Press.

Danai added that wild elephants have long been known to forage in nearby villages, but their behavior has shifted recently. “This year he has started seeing them going into more random places to find food,” he explained.

Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation estimates there were around 4,000 wild elephants across the country in 2024. As agricultural expansion encroaches on their natural habitats, elephants are increasingly forced into human settlements in search of food—sometimes resulting in tense or dangerous encounters.

(AP)