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NEED TO KNOW
- A hungry elephant known as Plai Biang Lek wandered into a local grocery store in Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima province.
- Rangers say the creature has entered resident’s homes before looking for food, but this was his first grocery store visit.
- Elephant sightings have become increasingly common as farmers invade their habitat for agriculture.
A hungry elephant stomped into a local grocery store in Thailand to find himself a snack.
The elephant, Plai Biang Lek, caused havoc in the store on Monday, June 2, when he strolled in and beelined for the sweet rice crackers. In shock, the shop’s manager yelled at the large creature, in an attempt to get him to leave the store’s premises without doing extreme damage, the Associated Press reported.
“Business was a bit slow that day. Around 2 p.m., the elephant just walked right up,” the shop owner Khamploi Kakaew told CNN. “I came out and tried to shoo it away. I told it not to come closer.”
The footage of the elephant interruption shows the mammal barging into the store and heading toward the snack aisle.
Plai Biang Lek allegedly “calmly” devoured nine bags of the sweet rice crackers, several bananas, and at least one sandwich. The elephant racked up an estimated bill of 800 baht, equal to around $25.
“I told it, ‘Go away, go on,’ but it didn’t listen. It was like it came on purpose,” Kakaew told CNN.
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The elephant strolled in from the nearby national park, Kha Yai, and is a familiar sight in the Nakhon Ratchasima province of Thailand, the Associated Press reported. Park ranger Danai Sookkhanthachat told the outlet that the creature has a reputation for breaking into people’s homes to raid their food pantries.
However, this was reportedly the first time the infamous elephant attempted to enter a grocery store. A group of rangers took 10 minutes to get Lek safely out of the store.
In a video shared by the Associated Press on Instagram, the elephant stands in the middle of the store as individuals inside work to shoo it out. The massive mammal backs out before heading on his way.
Kanokporn Sriboon
“We usually see it pass by, and watch from inside the house. But it never came into the shop before or hurt anyone,” Kakaew said.
Surprisingly, the creature left minor damages behind: a few disorderly shelves and an unpaid bill from his dine-and-dash stunt.
In 2024, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation in Thailand reported that an estimated 4,000 elephants live in the country. According to the Associated Press, with farmers expanding their land in Thailand, it has become more common for humans to encounter elephants.
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