This is the terrifying moment a wild male elephant in heat charged through a village in Thailand.

Footage shows the aggressive bull thundering across the yard as frightened residents hid inside their shanty homes in Trat province bordering Cambodia, on January 17.

The pachyderm then let out a bloodcurdling cry as it continued its search for a mate.

A Cambodian farm worker named Teh, 30, said he had been stuck in his house, terrified the elephants would turn their fury on him.

He said: 'There is a herd of wild elephants - many of them, I do not know how many -making loud noises and chasing each other all night long.

'They've been here since January 16 evening, circling around near my home. I am unable to go outside because they seem so aggressive. I decided to film them to ask for help from authorities.'

Officials from the nearby national park dispatched dozens of park rangers to the area, a rubber plantation, to monitor the movements of the elephants.

Park officer Wiwat Lekwong said there were also volunteers stationed at checkpoints in the forest.

He said: 'The officials are concerned that the elephant herd could pose a danger for the villagers, so they are warning the people in the surrounding area to be careful. During this time, wild elephants are in musth and are acting aggressively. If any residents see them, please immediately notify us.'

Elephant musth is a periodic condition in male elephants characterised by heightened testosterone levels, increased aggression, and the secretion of a thick, pungent fluid from their temporal glands. It is associated with reproductive behavior and can last for several weeks, during which the elephant may be more dominant and unpredictable.

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.

Though the creatures are usually harmless, there have been several fatal elephant attacks in recent weeks.

On January 17, farmer Anukoon Khampraphai, 42, was trampled to death by a wild elephant he crashed into, also in Trat province.

On January 3, Spanish tourist Blanca Ojanguren Garcia, 22, was struck by an elephant she was bathing at the Koh Yao Elephant Care centre in Phang Nga province. She reportedly slipped and accidentally grabbed its trunk, causing the animal to smash her against the rocky pool.