Hungry elephant smashes through a kitchen wall to search for snacks in Thailand home
THIS is the bizarre moment a notorious elephant smashes down a kitchen wall in a cheeky search for snacks.
The hungry giant crashed through a concrete home in Hua Hin, southern Thailand, early on Sunday morning.
His trunk then rummaged through kitchen drawers, knocking pans and other cooking utensils to the floor.
Shocked resident Rachadawan Phungprasopporn and her husband were woken by the noise and rushed to the kitchen to see what was going on.
They were astonished to see the wild jumbo with its huge ivory tusks rummaging through the cupboard with its long trunk.
It even grabbed a plastic bag of rice which it promptly shoved into its vast mouth.
Rachadawan said her husband helped to shoo away the giant – named Bunchuay by locals – which then disappeared into woodland.
She said: “This elephant is well known in the area because he causes a lot of mischief.
“He came to the house about two months ago and was looking around, but he didn’t damage anything then.
“We spoke to the local wildlife officers and they told us not to keep food out in the kitchen because the smell attracts the elephants.
“The wall will cost about 50,000 Baht (£1,200) to repair. It was funny to see the elephant like that but also I’m worried he could come back.”
Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild but there is often conflict when they come into contact with humans.
Staff from the country’s National Park – the sprawling area of protected woodland where wild elephants live – believe the animals have changed their behaviour in response to the food available from humans.
Conservation officer Supanya Chengsutha said: “The most likely explanation for this situation is that the elephant smelled the food and wanted to eat it.
“It’s not because the elephant was particularly hungry, as the food in the jungle has stayed the same. There is plenty and that hasn’t changed.
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“But sometimes individual elephants experience a change in their behaviour and character, so there’s no one factor why they would do this.
“Elephant eating habits have also changed now that they come into contact with humans more. They have started to like the food that people eat.
“It could also be that hunters and traps in the jungle have disrupted the elephant and it has moved out of the deep forest more towards settlements.”