BANGKOK (AP) — In a scene straight out of a wildlife comedy, a hungry wild elephant strolled into a roadside grocery store in northeastern Thailand on Monday, casually helping himself to an unexpected snack haul.
The 30-year-old elephant, known as Plai Biang Lek, is no stranger to the area near Khao Yai National Park, but this marked the first time he upgraded his usual kitchen raids to a full-on convenience store visit.
Caught on video, the massive elephant paused briefly outside the shop before ducking his enormous body through the entrance. Unbothered by startled onlookers or the pleas of nearby park officials, he calmly looted the shelves—munching through sweet rice crackers, a sandwich, and dried bananas—as if on a leisurely shopping trip.
“He was polite enough not to break much,” joked shop owner Kamploy Kakaew, who later shared the footage online. “Just a few muddy footprints and a bit of a mess—but he got what he came for.”
Still clutching a bag of snacks in his trunk, Plai Biang Lek eventually exited the store, only to continue his nighttime adventure by opening a nearby home’s window in search of more food.
According to Danai Sookkanthachat, a local wildlife volunteer, Plai Biang Lek has been known to sneak into homes over the years, but this was his most daring act yet. “They’re getting bolder,” he said. “The shrinking forest is forcing elephants to find food wherever they can—even in grocery stores.”
Thailand is home to an estimated 4,000 wild elephants, but expanding farmland and habitat loss have created dangerous overlaps between human communities and elephant roaming paths. While many incidents remain harmless or even humorous, such encounters can quickly escalate, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable coexistence.
