A wild elephant inspected passing cars for food along a mountain road in Thailand.

Footage shows the vehicles reversing from the path to avoid the strolling jumbo in Prachuap Khiri Khan province on March 25.

The creature appeared to poke its trunk into the back of pickup trucks and search them for something to eat.

Most motorists stopped when the animal approached them, while the others slowly proceeded to prevent it from scaring it with the sound of their engines.

Driver Thosaporn Noppapak said: ‘The elephant was so smart and knew that the villagers would pass by carrying freshly-harvested fruit. Some drivers chose to leave for another path.'

No one was hurt nor damaged in the incident, but the jumbo stalled traffic in the area for at least an hour.

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild - down from 100,000 a century ago - and around 3,000 in captivity owned privately. In the wild they are seen wandering freely among protected forests, occasionally appearing on the roads that run through them.

Male Asian elephants, unlike African elephants, roam alone once they are over ten years old while females remain with the herd. They are most during mating season from November to January when they emerge from the jungles in search of a mate.

There is conflict when they come into contact with humans on rural roads and in villages so wildlife rangers are tasked with monitoring their movements.