This is the terrifying moment a randy male elephant destroyed a building to reach a female that rebuffed his advances.

The jumbos emerged from nearby woodland and onto the roadside in Chachoengsao, eastern Thailand, on November 22.

Terrified soldiers watched as the male with long ivory tusks tried to mate with the female, which fought him off with her trunk.

Chaos then ensued as the pair tussled from either side of a roadside hut. However, the male raging with testosterone tore off the building's roof and stomped it to the ground to try and reach the cow.

The military officers stayed as still as they could while watching the warring duo, which carried on the tussle further down the road.

They picked up several roadblocks and flung them to the ground before they disappeared into the jungle when one of the soldiers to shoot a gun into the sky trying to scare away the elephants.

Squadron chief Sergeant Boonchoke Keawsingthong said the male jumbo was first to reach the checkpoint and destroy the post before the female arrived and caused more damage during their fight.

He said: ''We saw strange gestures from the male elephant and suspected that he was trying to mate with the female.

''Then when the female reached our checkpoint and refused, they started a fight and our checkpoint was completely demolished.''

The army chief added that they already knew about the presence of a herd of elephants nearby and will monitor their movements.

He said: ''We knew that there was a big herd of elephants that consisted of around 30 jumbos in the area but did not expect them to meet and fight at our checkpoint on the road like this.

''We have already reported this to our superior and will be more alert for the forthcoming checkpoint duty in case the elephants might come here again.''

An estimated 2,000 elephants are living in the wild in Thailand and a similar number in captivity. Male Asian elephants are rarely part of the herds and they roam alone through the deep jungle.

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

Elephants are a protected animal in Thailand and killing them carries a maximum prison term of up to three years and a fine of 1,000 baht (25GBP).