Wild elephant visits Thai shop in search of snacks

Wild elephant visits Thai shop in search of snacks

An elephant never forgets - where the snacks are stored. On Monday, a large wild elephant surprised the business owners of a convenience store in Thailand when he trudged into the shop to look for something to eat.

The unexpected visit

On CCTV recordings you can see how the hungry animal enters the shop and takes snacks independently. "The business ran a bit slow that day. The elephant just came in at around 2 p.m. and tried to send it away. I told him not to get closer," said shop owner Khamploi Kakaew to CNN. "I said, 'Gone, go away', but he didn't hear. It was as if he had come on purpose."

The location of the store

The shop is located in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima, northeast of the capital Bangkok, near the Khao Yai National Park, where elephants can often be seen. "Usually we see him pass by and watch him from inside. But he has never come to the store before or has hurt someone," she continued.

the elephant, the ancient

The elephant, a 27 -year -old bull called Plai Bang Lek, is well known in the area. Khamploi said that he stayed in the shop for about 10 minutes to search for and snack snacks. While wild elephants usually prefer bananas, bamboo and grasses, Bang Lek started directly on the sweets. "He went straight to the counter-to the candy counter near the freezer. With his trunk, he gently pushed the freezer aside to make room," she reported. "He searched for snacks and nibbled about 10 bags of sweets - each costs 35 baht ($ 1). In addition, he ate dried bananas and peanut snacks."

rescue operation for the elephant

Another elephant stayed outside in front of the store, "probably waiting," said Khamploi. The parking rangers were called and were able to lure the elephants away after a lot of conviction and degradation. "He is often here, but never hurt someone. I think he just wanted snacks," added Khamploi.

support for the shop

After the unexpected visit, an animal protection group came over and offered Khamploi 800 baht for the stolen goods. "They said they were to sponsor the elephant's snack bill-that was kind of funny," she said.

decreasing elephant population

The elephants, the National Animal Thailand, have experienced a decline in their wild population in recent decades due to threats from tourism, wooden harvest, poaching and human settlement of their habitats. Experts estimate that the wild elephant number in Thailand dropped to 3,000 to 4,000, compared to more than 100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century.

Together for the elephants

A group of local volunteers in the Khao Yai National Park is working to keep the elephants away from residential areas. "The behavior of the elephants has changed, from the search for food in orchards or at farms, to frequent visitors to human houses," said Thanongsak Changin, 44, a resident and volunteer, to CNN. The elephant Biang Lek had "cleared" several other places before it came to the incident on Monday, Tanongsak reported and told about an injury at the head of his tray after broken a glass box in a local house.

consequences of human influences

"He now lives in a village, which is unusual for a wild elephant. It is as if they didn't want to go back to the mountains. It is easier for them to just stay under the houses," he said. Encounters between humans and elephants are common and can In addition. There have already been cases in which elephants have destroyed cars. The Khao Yai National Park is an estimated 140–200 wild Asian elephants, and Thanongsak said that his group is trying to keep the area safe for both elephants and people.