Play-acting elephants copied Premier League stars and feigned injuries at an animal football match.

The jumbo in a blue top hit the ground and needed a physio with a magic sponge to run onto the field in Suri, Thailand, on November 22

Footage shows the trained animal lying on a field feigning unconsciousness as animal medics rushed over to help it during a pre-rehearsed sketch for the crowds at the Surin Elephant Festival 2023.

The elephant was 'revived' when another jumbo sprayed it with water from its trunk. A mahout was then seen rewarding the elephant with a banana for its efforts.

Hilariously, a second jumbo in a green top then joined in with the fun by holding up his front right leg and hobbling over to the touchline.

While the charity event was taken in good spirits by the audience, animal rights campaigners continue to campaign to stop elephants being used in the tourism industry and being kept in captivity.

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.