A hungry wild elephant destroyed a monk’s house and stole food in Thailand.

The male jumbo wandered inside the temple compound until it found a monk’s kitchen in Prachin Buri province on May 16.

It was trying to reach a bag of rice but its massive body could not fit in the window so the creature demolished the house’s roof using its trunk.

The elephant feasted on rice and milk cartons before rummaging the empty house for more. It fled the property when it was full and people were starting to arrive.

Monk Akkarak Kittitinno said: ‘We were praying in the temple when we heard the dogs barking profusely.

‘When I had the time, I checked the compound for intruders and found the elephant standing in front of my house. In a minute, it had destroyed my roof and began eating the supplies in the kitchen.’

Wildlife officers were called on the scene to guide the elephant back to the forest in case it went to other villages but its tracks confirmed it had returned to its habitat.

No one was hurt in the incident and the monks were now repairing the destroyed house. A fence was also installed around the area to discourage the jumbo from entering the compound again.

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.