A family who broke campsite rules by cooking in their cabin suffered instant karma - with an elephant attracted to the smell smashing up their car.

The relatives were visiting the resort within the Khao Yai forest in northeast Thailand when they ignored wildlife rangers to cook a barbecue meal on August 11.

Sensing that something tasty was being made, a herd of elephants smelled the grilled chicken and pork and wandered out of the woodland and into the car park.

Footage shows the two females and two calves ambling around before growing frustrated. The mother jumbo then began attacking the black Honda.

She used her giant trunk to roll the sedan onto its side then flipped it onto its roof. With no food appearing all four of the beasts trudged off back towards the woodland.

No one was injured but the car was damaged and had to be towed to a garage for repairs.

Chaiya Huayhongthong, chief of Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima province, said wildlife rangers were alerted to the elephant attack and ushered them deeper into the jungle to avoid further clashes with humans.

The wildlife worker said: 'The elephants had followed the scent of food after guests secretly cooked in their lodgings, which led the animals to search for food.

'The car owner was understanding of the situation after the park provided a small amount of compensation and assisted in returning the vehicle to Bangkok.

'I must remind tourists to adhere to park regulations, which prohibit cooking.'

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 those living in the wild 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.

There are an estimated 3,500 wild elephants in Thailand and encounters with humans have increased in recent years.