A herd of wild elephants emerged from woodland and held up cars on a mountain road in Thailand.

A female jumbo first emerged from trees and stomped along the highway checking it was safe for her brood.

Moments later, she was followed by a bull, two women, a juvenile elephant and a baby. They walked along the road as drivers cut their engines and stayed silent to avoid disturbing them.

Onlooker Chuenchom, who was visiting the area on a day trip, said: 'The elephants were amazing. I've never seen them close. They were so large but so peaceful.'

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild where they wander freely among protected forests. Male Asian elephants, unlike African elephants, roam alone once they are over 10 years old while females remain with the herd.

There is sometimes 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 to work in the tourist industry or at religious festivals and weddings. A small number still work in commercial logging.