Motorists were stranded on a mountain road after an elephant emerged from the forest.

Cars and riders were seen waiting several metres away from the wild jumbo as it walked across the road in Nakhon Nayok province's Khao Yai National Park in Thailand on December 20.

The traffic was held for almost half an hour before the animal was cleared off the road by wildlife rangers. No one was reported hurt in the incident.

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.