This is the shocking moment an elephant raided a house in the middle of the night while searching for food.

The jumbo intruded into the property before leaving a trail of damage as it knocked over furniture and vehicles in its path in Chonburi province, Thailand, on January 5.

It used its long trunk to rummage for food and aggressively push away things in frustration when it failed to find a snack.

Villagers named the elephant ‘Yanwang’ as they had become familiar with the jumbo after it repeatedly raided their village during the night.

After Yanwang had finished with its search in the house, it wandered to a nearby farmer’s fruit orchard where it feasted on pineapples, cucumbers, and other vegetables.

Supaowan Buthana, 35, the house owner, said that going out at night had become dangerous ever since the elephant started visiting their homes.

She said: ‘I usually go out in the evenings to collect rubber from trees, but with the elephant in the forest, I am scared to go out because it might hurt me.’

Supaowan’s neighbour who owned the destroyed fruits, Sang Sangoon, 61, said she had been losing income because of the jumbo.

She said: ‘The elephant walked near the fish pond, crushing the vegetables in the kitchen, and destroying the banana trees. It even destroyed two fences in my house.’

The elephant is the national animal of Thailand. An estimated 2,000 elephants are living in the wild in Thailand and a similar number in captivity.

There is conflict when they come in contact with humans who also use the area for 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).