A hungry elephant wandered over to a restaurant as people ate their evening meals in Thailand.

Attracted by the smell of food, the male jumbo named Sarika was seen approaching the restaurant in Nakhon Nayok province on December 19 and shyly peeking at the diners, who took out their phones to film the large animal.

The bull then left for the main road while being guided back to the wild by officers.

Restaurant owner Jinwimon Mahasap said: 'Some customers were afraid of the elephant so they ran away with bowls in their hand, while some were excited to see the jumbo.

'I believe he visited my restaurant because of the food smell. He must have been hungry.'

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild but there is often conflict when they come into contact with humans on roads and in villages.

A similar number of elephants are kept captive where they work in zoos and are hired out for religious festivals and weddings