This is the scary moment an aggressive wild elephant confronted a motorcycle rider.

The hostile male jumbo named Bunchuay - the same beast that rammed its head through a kitchen wall - was seen thundering towards the motorist on a road in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand, on February 8.

He charged at the rider before appearing to huff angrily, spraying dust on his body. The notoriously unfriendly elephant eventually let the motorist pass before disappearing into the wilderness.

Pichai Watcharawongpaiboon, director of Petchaburi's Protected Area Regional Office 3, said the 41-year-old elephant had been disturbed by the vehicles on the road, adding that drivers should maintain a distance of five to 10 metres from any wild elephants they may encounter.

He said: 'Check if the elephant moves its ears and tail side to side. If so, it's in a friendly mood and you can go ahead and drive, but very slowly. Normally these wild elephants know to walk on the side of the road.

'Never provoke them because they will become stressed and aggressive. They may lose trust with humans and start hurting people as a result.'

Bunchuay, who lives in the sprawling woodland which is part of the region's Kaeng Krachan National Park, has become well-known to wildlife rangers for his aggressive behaviour.

In June last year, Bunchuay rammed his head through a family's concrete kitchen wall before stealing a bag of rice. He even returned the next month to do the exact same thing - causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage for a second time.

Shocked resident Rachadawan Phungprasopporn her family were woken up by the noise and now live in fear of the beast returning.

Elephants are the national animal of Thailand, where killing them carries a maximum prison term of up to three years and a fine of 1,000 baht (25GBP).

An estimated 2,000 elephants are living in the wild and a similar number in captivity. In the wild, they roam through the deep jungle and in the country’s protected national parks, but often encounter humans on roads and in villages.