This is the terrifying moment a large wild elephant wandered into a restaurant garden in search of food.

Plai Krae barged onto the premises of the establishment in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, on October 28.

Footage shows the jumbo crossing the elevated log and ambling across the grass. Upon noticing a staff member recording its intrusion, the elephant turned to look at the employee, prompting the filmer to step back to avoid a potential attack.

No one was hurt in the encounter.

Elephants are known for their voracious appetite. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says that elephants 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, preferring to rummage through homes and vehicles for snacks instead of the bland leaves they find in the forest.