A wild elephant sparked panic after smashing a fence and raiding a family's garden in Thailand.

Phongsatorn Ngao-Thong, 46, heard the neighbour's dog barking outside his bedroom in Prachin Buri, eastern Thailand on October 28 evening.

The resident was shocked when he peeked through the window and saw the jumbo storming into his property.

He said: "I almost fainted seeing that giant elephant walking through my home. I was still sleeping, so it took me a few seconds to realise what was happening."

The elephant was violently swinging its trunk and stepping over a wooden fence across its path. The incident was recorded by the CCTV camera installed in front of his house.

Phongsatorn let the animal leave on its own and found the gates in his front and back yard crushed the next morning.

Local police officers confirmed that the huge creature was from the nearby Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife reserve, in Chachoengsao province.

It is known for raiding homes in the neighbourhood and national park officers had been tracking it.

District officials instructed residents to stay alert while organising several surveillance points in the forest area to watch out for the herd of wild elephants that may attack the community.

An estimated 2,000 elephants are living in the wild in Thailand and a similar number in captivity. In the wild, they roam through deep jungle and in the country's protected national parks.

However, there is conflict when they come in contact with humans who also use the area of farming and gathering food.