A herd of wild elephants climbed over a steel fence to enter a village in Thailand.

Surveillance cameras captured the jumbos clambering over the metal barrier separating the homes from a nearby wildlife sanctuary in Phetchaburi province on August 28.

Somjet Chanthana, the chief of Kaeng Krachan National Park, said a team of 20 personnel composed of park staff, soldiers, and volunteers, were deployed to patrol the area following reports of the wandering pachyderm.

Village officials said the metal fence was built using donations, but has been damaged over the years. They said the wild elephants have also become better at finding ways to enter the community area.

Residents are now urging authorities to install additional security measures like a low-voltage fence, warning speakers, and a road for patrol teams roving the border.

They also called for agricultural insurance, in case the elephants feasted on their crops.

Somjet said: 'This metal fence is a community-driven effort showing villagers' determination to address the issue.

'The community pooled their resources to construct the fence and acknowledged that it was a trial-and-error process.'

He said a bigger budget would ensure the fence can efficiently keep wild animals out.

He added that teams from the Kaeng Krachan National Park have been deployed to drive elephants away from some 10 villages in Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces while authorities seek a more permanent solution.

As of 2023, there are an estimated 3,084-3,500 wild elephants in Thailand. The population has been increasing in recent years, but it is still a fraction of the estimated 300,000 wild elephants that lived in Thailand at the beginning of the 20th century. The main threats to wild elephants in Thailand are habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and conflict with humans.