This is the amusing moment a mischievous wild elephant gave forest officers the cold shoulder as it ambled through a security checkpoint.

The jumbo, named Plai Duan, was seen sauntering past the guard post on a mountain road in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand.

Wildlife ranger Surasit Wonthonglang and his colleagues followed the beast in a pickup truck to try to usher him back into the forest.

Footage shows the behemoth walking across the roadway, visibly unfazed by Surasit's shouts on January 19.

At one point, Plai Duan tried to move into another lane, but the officers managed to veer their vehicle close to the animal to keep it on track.

Surasit said: 'We managed to guide the elephant back to the forest that morning, but just as we thought he had stayed in the wild, he returned later in the evening.'

Earlier this month, the same elephant, Plai Duan, gatecrashed a solemn funeral service in a cheeky quest for a midnight snack.

The encounter sent mourners scrambling to safety as the beast lumbered through the temple grounds and rummaged through the altar offerings meant for the deceased.

Surasit and his colleagues rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the intrusion, eventually ushering Plai Duan away by making noise.

The startled creature then sprinted out of the temple and headed towards the forest for the second time.

The temple remained intact and no injuries were reported during the encounter.

Surasit added: 'Plai Duan often causes disturbances in residential areas while searching for food, and it is simply something we have to deal with.'

Local media reported that Plai Duan also ransacked a smoothie stall and damaged more than 15 banana trees last year.

Authorities continue to monitor the persistent pachyderm to look after the safety of both the villagers and the wandering giant.

Thailand has up to 3,500 elephants in the wild. The population has been increasing in recent years, but it is still a fraction of the estimated 300,000 wild elephants that lived in the country 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.