This is the spectacular moment a herd of wild elephants crossed a river together in central Thailand.

Seven adult elephants were first seen with their babies wading through the water in Kanchanaburi province on December 19.

The adult jumbos led the way while the babies were lined up in the middle, protected by larger elephants bringing up the rear.

The wild animals walked in groups and after the first batch had crossed the river. Dozens more then followed from the same herd.

Onlooker, Khoon Maii, who was at the area for a sight-seeing trip, said: ''At first, I thought it was only a small herd but another group of jumbos followed up.

''It was so beautiful that more people flocked to the bridge to watch them from a distance.''

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