Drivers made a cautious retreat when a herd of wild elephants emerged from a forest in Thailand.

Footage shows cars stopped in both lanes then edged back slowly as the jumbos held up traffic in Nakhon Ratchasima province on May 16.

Wannaporn Eakkachat, 33, who was further away drove backwards to change routes and avoid the animals.

She said: ‘This was my first time seeing the elephants after years of visiting the area of national park. I was scared but at the same time, happy and excited.'

Tourists and drivers were always warned by park officers to turn their engines off during elephant sightings to avoid scaring them which could make the animals aggressive.

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.