This is the dramatic moment a wild elephant confronted a Buddhist monk on a mountain road.

The male jumbo named Plai Krae was walking alone while a monk in orange robes approached from the opposite direction in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand on September 17 morning.

As their paths crossed, the elephant appeared to move closer towards the monk which frightened him and caused him to retreat into the bush.

Fortunately, Plai Krae decided to stop pursuing the frightened monk and decided to move to the village instead to find more food.

Onlooker Khun Danai said: ‘The monk felt comfortable getting close to the elephant, but it was still aggressive towards him.

‘It is always best to stay back from wild elephants until they have passed by.’

No one was reported hurt in the incident including the monk who reached his destination safely. The incident was reported to local park rangers afterwards.

Male Asian elephants roam alone and only join herds to mate. In contrast, African male elephants remain part of the herds for their whole life.

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild but there is often conflict when they come into contact with humans on roads and in villages. A similar number of elephants are kept captive where they work in zoos and are hired out for religious festivals and weddings.