This is the dramatic moment a wild elephant stopped oncoming cars on a rural road.

The jumbo, named by ranges as Boonchuay, emerged from the thick forest and stomped along the motorway in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, Thailand on February 26.

She occupied half of the lane and disrupted traffic, checking on the back of trucks as park rangers fought to scare her away.

Footage shows the busy motorway before the jammed area was seen with the elephant.

Park ranger Rattiya Netkasak said: 'Chang Boonchuay always did that that's why we had to show that it was not the right thing to do and scare her away.'

The female elephant ran back to the woods as the rangers went to chase her away.

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild where they wander freely among protected forests.

There is sometimes conflict when they come into contact with humans on roads and in villages so wildlife rangers are tasked with monitoring their movements.