A baby elephant stole fruit from a garden and played with national park officers who arrived to usher it away.

The juvenile was part of a herd that locals reported for invading their land and eating their crops in Trat, Thailand, on July 11.

More than 20 wildlife officers were dispatched to the area and safely guided the ten animals back to their habitat, including the playful young jumbo that stayed for a bit to play with them.

Footage shows the baby elephant laying on the ground to scratch its side. An officer patted the adorable's back as it pretended to sleep while the men were nearby.

Wiwat Lekwong from Namtok Khlong Kaeo National Park said: ‘The elephants live in the forest but would emerge to the garden to eat some fruits.

‘One of the elephant bulls, Chao Kod, is in its musth period. Their leader, Chao Hong Thong, is smart and distracted us while the other elephants charged into the garden.'

The elephants ate bananas, langsats, and bamboo shoots. All the elephants safely returned to the forest.

Elephants are known for their voracious appetite. The World Wildlife Federation (WWF) found need to eat up to 150kg of food per day - the equivalent of 375 tins of baked beans

Conservationists in Thailand say that wild elephants - up to 3,500 of them - have even developed a taste for human food and prefer to rummage through homes and vehicles for snacks, instead of the bland leaves they find in the forest.