This is the breathtaking moment a herd of wild elephants emerged from the forest to cross a road together.

The family of jumbos - consisting of females, babies and juveniles - appeared in Chachoengsao province, Thailand, at dawn on Decemeber 11.

Villager Juajun Kaewkum said: ‘There were more than 50 elephants going around the villager's plantation. It's easier for these elephants to find food in the village so they often venture closer to homes.'

Sightings of the Asian elephant increase in the winter months when males are in musth and looking for females. The male bulls typically wander alone and do not stay with the herd.

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild where they wander freely among protected forests. However, there is often conflict when they come into contact with humans on roads and in villages so wildlife rangers are tasked with monitoring their movements.

A similar number of elephants in the country are also kept in captivity where they work in the tourist industry or get hired out for religious festivals and weddings. A small number still work in commercial logging.