A wild elephant held up traffic while it went for a stroll along a mountain road.

The jumbo emerged from the forest in Nakhon Ratchasima, north eastern Thailand.

It was seen trudging along the highway as a truck waited patiently behind, taking care not to frighten the animal.

A passing resident sitting on the back of a pickup truck captured the fully-grown elephant as it walked towards her.

She said: ''Elephants often walk out of the jungle onto roads but it is rare to get close to them. The important thing is not to block their path and try to let them go on their naturally. If they are rushed, they could panic and cause terrible damage.''

The road is set in the Khao Yai National Park, one of Thailand's largest areas of protected woodland and home to hundreds of wild elephants.