Drivers had to look on anxiously when a wild elephant blocked a road through woodland in Thailand.

The jumbo was seen strolling on the road in Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Nayok province on December 14. It loitered on the path, blocking vehicles driving uphill.

Onlooker Prarinya Seruesang said: 'I thought I was very lucky to be seeing a wild elephant in real life.'

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.

Wildlife officials advise drivers to stop their cars and wait for elephants to pass in order to avoid startling them.