A hungry elephant attracted by BBQ smell has flipped over a family’s vehicle in an act of karma after they broke the campsite cooking rules
The family was visiting a resort in the Khao Yai forest in northeast Thailand when they ignored the advice by wildlife rangers and cooked a barbecue meal on August 11.
A herd of elephants smelled the chicken and pork meat being grilled and wandered out of the woodland and into the car park.
Footage shows three elephants and two calves stomping around the campsite looking for food, before one female seemingly grew frustrated and attacked the family’s black Honda by kicking it with her front foot.
The elephant then used her giant trunk to roll the sedan onto its side and finally to flip its roof. With no food appearing the herd trudged off back towards the woodland.
The family was visiting a resort in the Khao Yai forest in northeast Thailand when they ignored the advice by wildlife rangers and cooked a barbecue meal on August 11. A herd of elephants smelled the chicken and pork meat being grilled and wandered out of the woodland and into the car park
Footage shows three elephants and two calves stomping around the campsite looking for food, before one female seemingly grew frustrated and attacked the family’s black Honda by kicking it with her front foot
She then used her giant trunk to roll the sedan onto its side and finally to flip its roof. With no food appearing the herd trudged off back towards the woodland
No one was injured but the car was severely damaged and had to be towed to a garage for repairs.
Chaiya Huayhongthong, chief of Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima province, said wildlife rangers were alerted to the incident and ushered the elephants deeper into the jungle to avoid further clashes with humans.
The wildlife worker said: ‘The elephants had followed the scent of food after guests secretly cooked in their lodgings, which led the animals to search for food.
‘The car owner was understanding of the situation after the park provided a small amount of compensation and assisted in returning the vehicle to Bangkok.
‘I must remind tourists to adhere to park regulations, which prohibit cooking.’
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 those living in the wild 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.
There are an estimated 3,500 wild elephants in Thailand and encounters with humans have increased in recent years.
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