A frisky bull elephant took out his seasonal frustration on a car in a Thai wildlife sanctuary by stomping over the vehicle and ripping off the bonnet with its tusks, before trying to sit down on it.
The young couple inside the badly damaged car luckily escaped injury after the beast went on the rampage down a road running through the Khao Yai National Park near Bangkok.
It had begun by rubbing itself up against other vehicles before resting its ample behind on the bonnet of a Mercedes saloon.
Having established its authority, the young male then headed back into the forest.
Authorities for the sanctuary, which is home to at least 300 wild elephants, have urged visitors to take extra care as it is mating season and the bulls can become aggressive.
National park rangers have also imposed curfew restrictions on motorists driving through the road.
Sanctuary chief Kanchit Srinoppawan said: “The drivers stopped when they saw the elephant and the elephant could not cross the road so he felt stressed and stomped the car.
“It pushed the car with its tusks and the bonnet fell off.”
Mr Kanchit warned visitors: “When you see an elephant do not honk, do not flash your car lights, do not take photos and keep your engine running.”
But he pointed out the park ultimately belonged to the wildlife.
“We must balance between people, wild animals and tourism,” he added.
In another incident at the park, a 30-year-old elephant wreaked havoc in a raid on a restaurant – apparently unable to resist the aroma of food cooking. (Sky News)
