This is the extraordinary moment a wild elephant that was searching for food became stuck in a supermarket.

The hungry beast wandered from its natural stomping ground and barged into the grocery shop in Nakhon Ratchasima, northeast Thailand, this afternoon.

But the jumbo was foiled by its own size, with its huge arched back becoming wedged on the low roof.

Footage shows the hapless elephant scanning the aisles while pondering how to escape from its self-inflicted predicament.

Fortunately, the shopkeeper was nearby to usher the 25-year-old bull named Plai Biang Lek back onto the road outside.

Wildlife rangers who had been alerted to the issue later arrived and drove the elephant back into the woodland away from danger. They said they were monitoring the area to prevent Plai Biang Lek from returning.

The shaken shopkeeper said: 'This was the first time an elephant had visited the store. I hope he doesn't come back. I was worried about the damage he could cause.'

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.