Lunch to go! Hungry elephant stops the traffic to teach his son how to steal food from vehicles
- Two elephants blocked road in Chachoengsao, Thailand, as one raided vehicles
- Drivers stopped in their tracks as the animals looted sugarcane and bags of salt
- Wildlife ranger Amnouy Artchula said the adult was bonding with the juvenile
- She added that ‘the animals are nice to humans, if humans are nice to them’
A wild elephant brought traffic in eastern Thailand to a total standstill as he appeared to be showing his son how to steal food from passing motorists.
Drivers stopped in their tracks as the jumbos stomped onto a road in Chachoengsao and started pinching food from a vehicle.
Footage captured one elephant snatching bags of salt from a silver Toyota Hilux pick-up truck before slinging them across the road.
Previously they had looted sugarcane, which they then proceeded to munch on.
Wildlife ranger Amnouy Artchula captured the astonishing moment near the Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary, a national park that is home to hundreds of wild elephants.
Ms Artchula said the older male elephant was teaching the younger juvenile how to forage for food from passing vehicles.
She added: ‘The elephants know very well how to stop the passing cars to get food, even if they are not given permission from the drivers.
‘In this case, the older elephant was showing the smaller elephant how to get food from cars. It was probably his son or another juvenile in the herd.’
Herds of wild elephants roam through nearby forests, and occasionally stumble onto the road when they are looking for food.
Ms Artchula said: ‘The animals are nice to humans, if humans are nice to them. That is why we ask all drivers not to harm any wildlife, we should live together peacefully.’
Wild elephants brought traffic in Chachoengsao, eastern Thailand, to a total standstill as terrified motorists stopped while the jumbos raided the backs of their vehicles for food
Wildlife ranger Amnouy Artchula said that the older male elephant was teaching the younger juvenile how to forage for food from passing vehicles
Thailand has between 3,000 and 4,000 elephants. Around half live in the wild in national parks, like the animal seen in the video, while the others are domesticated.
Wild elephants are endangered by human activity, causing the Thai Government to sanction the creation of the Wildlife Sanctuary in 1977.
According to the Thai Department of National Parks, the elephant population of Khao Ang Rue Nai in 2008 was just 219.
However, around 20 elephants a year are born in the region.
This startling incident was filmed on February 21.