They say hunger makes beasts of us all. For this elephant, it made him a customer.
A wild elephant stomped into grocery store in Pak Chong district, Thailand. This happened around 2:00 PM on June 2, 2025. It created a chaotic situation as he walked into the store from a national park close by.
Dangerous? Only to snack shelves.
This elephant is locally known as Plai Biang Lek and is 30 years old. He was from Thailand’s Khao Yai National Park. He is quite popular in the area due to his recurring visits to the civilian zones.
The shop owner said that he calmly paused in front of the counter and grabbed snacks of his choice. She claims that he consumed a sandwich, several bananas, and nearly nine packs of sweet rice crackers. He barely left any damage except for the muddy footprints on the ground and the roof. The employees tried to send him away, but he didn’t twitch even a bit.
Danai Sookkanthachat is a volunteer park worker who has taken care of the elephant. Also, she said that this was the first time that he had entered a grocery store. She was familiar with him entering local houses in search of food very often.
Wildlife ventures into human settlements
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation estimates that Thailand’s wild elephant population was 4,000 in 2024. Elephants leave their dwindling habitats in search of food as farmers encroach on forests for cultivation, which can result in potentially fatal encounters.
Sadly, industrialisation and large-scale farming are progressively encroaching on their habitat, just like they are in many other places throughout the world. Farmers shoot elephants because they are upset about their harvests being stolen, resulting in frequent human-animal conflict. Other elephants have been electrocuted by fences built to avoid the expeditions.
Shoplifters have guns, but this one had tusks!