A hungry wild elephant raided a noodle shop while looking for food in Thailand.

The jumbo named Plai Krae emerged from the forest and had already devoured dozens of mangoes from a nearby orchard when it approached the restaurant in Nakhon Ratchasima province early morning on June 17.

Store owner Nataya Phummali, 49, spotted the animal idling near her store and rummaging through the food cabinets. After finding nothing inside, Plai Krae trudged glumly across the road and disappeared into the trees.

Nataya said: 'Plai Krae had been gone for a while, but I see it has returned. I used to see it often, searching for food in temples or schools in and around the Pak Chong district.'

Village council chief Chamras Phuseenam added: 'Plai Krae usually seeks food during the night and early morning. Then it rests at the Khao Yai National Park for around six hours before re-emerging in the afternoon or evening.'

Chamras said that although Plai Krae was a voracious eater that liked to visit communities in the area, it had never shown aggression towards the residents.

He added: 'Plai Krae has visited nearly every village in the Mu Si and Pong Ta Long sub-districts and has become well-known among the local villagers. The only time I've seen it aggressive is when it retaliated against a dog barking at it as it searched for food.'

As of 2023, there are an estimated 3,084-3,500 wild elephants in Thailand. The population has been increasing in recent years, but it is still a fraction of the estimated 300,000 wild elephants that lived in Thailand at the beginning of the 20th century. The main threats to wild elephants in Thailand are habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and conflict with humans.