This is the amusing moment a grumpy elephant tried to pick a fight with a herd of cows in Thailand.

The jumbo had strolled out of the forest when it discovered the farm animals beside the road in Khao Ang Rue Nai national park on December 3.

Appearing to be confused, it stood there watching as the herd grazed on green grass until park rangers saw what was happening.

National park staff Auncha Poltawee and his colleagues found the elephant glaring at the cows.

Auncha said they lured the elephant away from the group of cows before "any trouble could start''.

He said: "This elephant was grumpy after a long walk away from the forest. It might have been hungry and seeing the cows eating happily did not brighten its mood."

The rangers lined up fruits leading back to the forest while calling its attention to distract it away from the cows.

The jumbo ate the fruits, but funnily, it continued to lay its focus on the cow herd which did not mind it.

Auncha added: "I thought it just wanted to say hi to the cows, then suddenly it just kept moving forward. We put so much effort to finally cool down this guy's mood."

In the end, the grumpy jumbo continued with the team and returned to the wildlife sanctuary.

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.