This is the dramatic moment a wild elephant rammed a tourist's car while looking for food in Thailand.

Video shows the jumbo shoving the white vehicle parked on the roadside running through a forest in Nakhon Ratchasima on December 10.

Chaiya Huayhongthong, director of Khao Yai National Park, said the animal had smelled the strong scent of strawberries from inside the SUV when the passengers rolled the windows down to take photos.

The attack had left the vehicle dented with its windows smashed.

Chaiya urged park visitors to give the wild animals at least 50 metres of space, and refrain from spooking them with loud sounds, flashes, or honking.

He said tourists in cars must always keep their engines on in case they need to escape.

He said: 'Khao Yai National Park has imposed a ban on photographing wild elephants at close range, both for the safety of life and property of tourists and so as not to put pressure on wild elephants.

'Also, some elephants have babies. If they are stressed, they may turn to harm tourists, so please strictly follow the guidelines.'

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.