This is the amusing moment an itchy wild elephant was seen scratching its head against a tree.

Tourist Chujit Sukkasem spotted the jumbo while she was on a holiday with her husband in Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima province on April 25.

Video shows the jumbo apparently relieving an itch by rubbing its head and face against a tree's rough bark. Once the elephant had satisfied its itch, it trudged off back into the forest.

A wildlife ranger was also parked up next to the tree while monitoring the animal.

Chujit said: 'I thought the elephant was smart. It managed to find a way to scratch its head in spots it couldn't reach.'

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

Conservationists believe that they are becoming much more confident around humans, regularly walking into villages and stopping cars to look for food.