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Independent Singapore
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
Elephant 'shoplifts' rice crackers in Thai convenience store, sparks online frenzy
THAILAND: In an unusual but charming encounter, a wild elephant in northeastern Thailand attained viral 'celebrity status' after nonchalantly walking into a convenience store, helped himself to cartons of rice crackers, and just walked out of the store as if nothing had happened. The episode, captured on video and shared on the Here is Khao Yai Facebook page, has tickled locals and animal lovers all over the country. Cracker crime goes viral According to a recent SCMP report, the video showed the enormous elephant, known locally as Plai Biang Lek, wandering into the tiny store in Pak Chong district, his head almost hitting the ceiling. Without reluctance, he ransacked the snack shelves, demolishing several boxes of rice crackers in what social media users flippantly called a 'daylight robbery.' Thais hurriedly took to social media to simulate the elephant's tricks. 'Would you like some pork buns?' one commenter jested. Another bantered, 'Did you forget to pay for your food, Biang? Have you scanned?' The carefree tenor mirrors a cultural fondness for elephants, even in times of pandemonium. See also Panda death in Thailand stirs suspicion in China Plai Biang Lek, no longer a stranger to the limelight, has already been spotted numerous times in human settlements. In a prior incident, he was caught on camera sneaking into a restaurant pantry, attracted by the aroma of food while the owners were sleeping. Shrinking habitats fuel elephant-human encounters The store is situated near Khao Yai National Park, a huge protected area and home to wild elephants. With development and agricultural expansions, these animals have increasingly been leaving the park seeking food, which has resulted in more frequent, sometimes panicky, encounters with humans. Thailand's wild elephant population is projected to be between 3,700 and 4,400, but loss of habitat has driven many into the countryside and busy communities. Some growers, troubled by crop devastation, have resorted to building electric railings, leading to injury or tragic death of some elephants. Despite these pressures, elephants remain an extremely well-regarded character in Thailand, a land where elephants are the official animals and have played an essential role in the nation's history. A nation of elephants, wild and captive While the quantity of wild elephants has diminished, caged populations have outnumbered them today. About 2,798 elephants are held in reserve within tourism venues across Thailand, with almost three-quarters utilised for entertainment purposes. In contrast to the early 20th century, when Thailand bragged about 300,000 wild elephants, only around 6,000 remain today, half of which live in uninhabited areas. As for Plai Biang Lek, his 'snack attack' has made him an 'urban legend,' a representation of both the allure and the challenges of Thailand residents' coexistence with these most iconic animals.
Russia Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
WATCH wild elephant visit Thai grocery store
A giant wild elephant from a national park in northeastern Thailand wandered off and strolled into a grocery store, knocking over shelves and sniffing boxes of rice crackers before leaving. The daylight robbery went viral after the Thairath Online Facebook page posted a video on Monday afternoon showing the massive creature – reportedly known locally as Plai Biang Lek – shocking the convenience store owner in the Pak Chong district by invading the premises and helping itself to some snacks. The store, which is around three hours northeast of Bangkok, is near Khao Yai National Park, where wild elephants are frequently seen leaving protected areas in search of food. The publication said this is not Lek's first mischievous act. Two years ago, he famously made off with a pot of congee, a type of rice porridge. The 23-year-old male elephant entered the store while the owner was attending to a customer, the Bangkok Post reported, adding that the visit caused panic, forcing the shopkeeper and customer to run out and alert park rangers and the shop owner tried to make the animal leave by shouting and pleading with him, the media outlet noted, but the elephant was unfazed and continued probing with his trunk, searching the shelves for snacks. Ten minutes later, he left and wandered back into the jungle, causing no injuries to itself or bystanders. According to the shop owner, as cited by the Bangkok Post, repairing the damaged shelves and replacing the lost goods will cost more than 1,000 baht (around $30).
The Independent
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Notorious Thai elephant raids grocery store for snacks as owner watches on
A towering wild elephant from a national park in northeastern Thailand veered off its forest trail and ambled into a grocery store, toppling shelves and helping himself to snacks. The elephant named Plai Biang Lek from the Khao Yai National Park caused quite a stir at the shop in Pak Chong district of the Nakhon Ratchasima province when it unexpectedly entered at around 3pm local time on Monday, surprising the owner. The store is only about a kilometre from one of the park's entrances, local media reported, and Plai Biang Lek is apparently a regular around the village that borders the park. The 23-year-old elephant entered the store while the owner was attending a customer, The Bangkok Post reported. There was immediate panic as both the shopkeeper and the customer bolted out and alerted park officials. The video of Plai Biang Lek's snack raid went viral in Thailand after it was shared by the Facebook page 'Here is Khao Yai' on Monday afternoon. It showed the tusker casually walking into the shop, his head nearly scraping the ceiling, grabbing snacks, and then walking out. In spite of the chaos that his presence caused in the store, Plai Biang Lek appeared unfazed. In the video the elephant can be seen poking around the shelves with his trunk and paying no heed to the desperate attempts by the owner to try and get him to leave. After about 10 minutes of searching and eating snacks, the elephant strolled back towards the forest, leaving behind a mess of leftovers and toppled goods all across the shop floor. No one was injured during Plai Biang Lek's snack hunt. The elephant's snack raid sparked amused reactions on Thai social media. 'Would you like some pork buns?' one Facebook user wrote. Another joked about the elephant wanting to try some beers but not getting any because he could not open the refrigerator door. 'It's a big customer,' another said. The elephant often appears near human settlements around the forest looking for food, Khaosod English noted. 'Locals are accustomed to seeing Plai Biang Lek passing by this particular store, but he has never before attempted to enter,' the outlet said. 'This time, however, Plai Biang Lek surprised and alarmed the residents and store owner by walking right inside. In February this year, he raided a small restaurant in Nakhon Ratchasima in search of food. The elephant wandered into the outdoor kitchen, knocking over chairs and kitchenware while foraging for leftovers. It reportedly took about 30 minutes to coax Plai Biang Lek out of the restaurant with metal poles. In 2021, a giant monitor lizard caused a stir after entering a supermarket in Nakhon Pathom. A viral video showed the lizard climbing the shelves with shoppers screaming in the background and trying to flee. And in another incident from 2021, a woman in Thailand's Hua Hin district was stunned to find a wild elephant breaking into her kitchen at 2am in search of food, with viral footage showing the animal poking its head and trunk through a hole it made in the wall.
South China Morning Post
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Thai elephant raids convenience store, eats snacks and leaves without paying
A convenience store in northeastern Thailand has had to contend with an unusual shoplifter – a large male elephant who scoffed down boxes of rice crackers before casually walking out. Advertisement The daylight robbery has gone viral in Thailand after the 'Here is Khao Yai' Facebook page posted a video on Monday afternoon showing the giant creature – known locally as Plai Biang Lek – ambling into the shop, head brushing the ceiling, guzzling snacks, and then strolling out. The local store, in Pak Chong district, about three hours northeast of Bangkok, is not far from Khao Yai National Park, where wild elephants are frequently seen leaving protected areas to forage for food. Thais chuckled at the unexpected human-elephant interaction in a region where such encounters, while not uncommon, rarely play out in convenience stores. 'Would you like some pork buns?' one Facebook user quipped, while others teased the elephant for its apparent criminality.
