An Asian black bear was safely returned to the forest after wandering into a village in Thailand.

The beast roamed the neighbourhood streets as it searched for food in Phetchabun province on April 15.

CCTV footage shows the bear darting through a yard after being spooked by stray dogs.

Residents were awoken by the noise and were shocked to discover, through security cameras, that the wild animal was lurking in the residential area. They called wildlife officers to catch the bear, fearing it might maul someone.

Ronnarat Sirimakorn, chief of Tat Mok National Park, said villagers scheduled to celebrate the Songkran water festival out on the streets were warned not to leave their houses.

An animal control team was then dispatched to a canal to locate the bear. They managed to shoot it with a tranquiliser gun, but it fled into the middle of the village, sparking panic among the locals before collapsing.

Ronnarat said: 'The bear was a male weighing around 100 kilogrammes. It likely wandered into the village next to the forest area in search of food.

'The Phu Khieo forest area, which borders the Tad Mok National Park and the village, is rich in wildlife and is home to many herbivores. Unfortunately, forest encroachment by locals has reduced available food sources. Additionally, the villagers have planted corn and the bear may have been drawn in by the scent. It likely kept walking and feeding until a barking dog startled it, causing it to flee further into the village.

'We were able to safely tranquilise the animal. Since it was healthy and unharmed, it was taken to the Tabo–Huai Yai Wildlife Sanctuary and released. Our team monitored it closely until it woke up and returned to the forest on its own.'

A resident, Jakkaphon Poodklong, 32, said he heard a dog barking at around 2 am, but was too scared to check the source of the noise.

He said: 'I only learned about the bear in the morning. Seeing it must have riled up the dogs. I led the officers to its hiding spot.'

Another resident, Suphee Thongjai, 64, said: 'I was watching children playing near the road when I heard the village headman telling residents to stay inside their houses. I was doing as told, but then I saw the bear charging right at me. I jumped onto a table, but the bear changed its course and ran across the road instead. I was terrified that it would attack me.'

Asian black bears are classified as ‘Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List and are listed in Appendix I of CITES.

They are also protected animals under Thailand's Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act.