Wild Elephant Visits Thai Store

A wild elephant's unexpected visit to a convenience store in Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima province has shed light on the growing issue of human-wildlife conflict in the region. The incident, captured on CCTV, shows a 27-year-old male elephant named Plai Biang Lek entering the store and helping himself to various snacks.

Shop owner Khamploi Kakaew recounted her futile attempts to deter the elephant, which spent approximately 10 minutes inside the store. The elephant, known to frequent the area near Khao Yai National Park, displayed a preference for sweets over its usual diet of bananas, bamboo, and grasses.

This event is not isolated, as local volunteers report increasing instances of elephants venturing into residential areas. Thanongsak Changin, a resident and volunteer, noted a shift in elephant behavior from foraging in orchards to visiting human dwellings. This change in patterns has led to more frequent and potentially dangerous human-elephant encounters.

The incident underscores the broader issue of declining elephant populations in Thailand. Experts estimate that the wild elephant population has drastically reduced from over 100,000 at the start of the 20th century to merely 3,000-4,000 today. This decline is attributed to various factors, including tourism, logging, poaching, and habitat encroachment.