Thailand Elephant goes viral after calm grocery store raid near Khao Yai –watch viral video

Time of India

2 days ago

Thailand's 'Polite Shoplifter' Elephant caught on camera raiding grocery store: A wild elephant named Plai Biang Lek from Thailand's Khao Yai National Park recently went viral. He calmly walked into a grocery store near the park. The elephant is estimated to be 30 years old. He entered a small convenience store in Pak Chong district. He towered over the shelves and helped himself to snacks. These included sweet rice crackers, dried bananas, and a sandwich.
Despite the mess, the elephant stayed calm. He left peacefully with snacks in his trunk. No one was hurt, and there was no major damage. The moment was caught on video and shared widely online. People around the world were charmed by the gentle giant's calm grocery raid.
Not an ordinary SHOPLIFTERLarge male ELEPHANT raids the rice crackers in a small town store in north Thailand, then leaves without payingKnown locally as Plai Biang Lek, it's apparently not his first offense pic.twitter.com/r7tRAhaWM8
Viral Video Captures Elephant's Snack Raid and Calm Demeanor
The incident was caught on video and quickly went viral on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. The footage shows Plai Biang Lek casually walking into the store. He towers over the shelves and uses his trunk to grab snacks. There are no signs of fear or aggression.
The shop owner, Kamploy Kakaew, and park workers tried to shoo him away. But the elephant stayed calm and unbothered. He eventually walked out peacefully, carrying a bag of snacks in his trunk.
Public reaction
The video has gained more than 2 million hits on the internet, with people being enamored by his calm nature. People were in awe of the elephant. A user wrote, 'Even elephants get the munchies!' while the other said, 'Imagine heading in for snacks and running into him-only in Thailand!'
The incident is an indication of a worsening problem: habitat destruction. Spreading agriculture drives elephants such as Plai Biang Lek into human areas in quest of food, and there are fears of future human-wildlife conflicts.
Elephant's Behavior Highlights Growing Human-Wildlife Interaction Challenges
Plai Biang Lek is locally known for wandering into nearby villages in search of food. This behaviour is becoming more common as wild elephant habitats shrink due to farming and human encroachment. Though he has entered houses before, this was reportedly his first time walking into a grocery shop.
The incident caused minimal damage. Only muddy footprints and slight damage to the shop's ceiling were reported. Fortunately, no one was injured.
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