The Elephant In The Room - Hungry Animal Smashes Through Kitchen Wall To Steal Food From Home in Thailand

Jun 23, 2021

In a great show of strength and power, a wild Asian elephant smashed through the wall of a Thai family's home in June of 2021. The elephant is called Plai Bunchuay, and it is thought that he broke into the house looking for food. Rachadawan Phungprasopporn is a resident in the home, which is located in Hua Hin in southern Thailand.

The event occurred at around 2 A.M. and woke up Phungprasopporn and her husband. There was a loud crashing sound as the elephant rammed into the house, completely smashing a hole into the side of the wall. The residents were able to record a video that shows the elephant's head inside the kitchen as it searched around for food in the cabinets.

The elephant used its trunk to move around pots and pans in search of anything consumable. It is thought that the animal may have been enticed by the smell of food, but there was nothing cooking at the time since it was in the middle of the night. The elephant eventually found a bag containing rice and put the entire thing in its mouth. 

Luckily, Phungprasopporn's husband was able to shoo away the animal, and it disappeared back wherever it had come from. All that remained was the giant elephant-shaped hole in the wall. Nobody was hurt, but the damages the house suffered will be pricey to repair. It is thought that elephants in the area have plenty of food, so this particular elephant may be a bit of a troublemaker.

Phungprasopporn shared with Newsflare, "This elephant is well known in the area because he causes a lot of mischief. He came to the house about two months ago and was looking around, but he didn't damage anything then." It seems this animal has quite the reputation already. 

The residents sought out advice from local officials to avoid more events like this from occurring in the future. "We spoke to the local wildlife officers and they told us not to keep food out in the kitchen because the smell attracts the elephants, so we followed their advice. It was funny to see the elephant like that but also I'm worried he could come back again," Phungprasopporn said.

"The most likely explanation for this situation is that the elephant smelled the food and wanted to eat it. It's not because the elephant was particularly hungry, as the food in the jungle has stayed the same. There is plenty and that hasn't changed," said conservation officer Supanya Chengsutha.

He continued, "But sometimes individual elephants experience a change in their behaviour and character, so there's no one factor why they would do this. Elephant eating habits have also changed now that they come into contact with humans more. They have started to like the food that people eat. It could also be that hunters and traps in the jungle have disrupted the elephant and it has moved out of the deep forest more towards settlements." 

Fortunately, no one was hurt during the incident, including the elephant. Hopefully, Phungprasopporn and her family can avoid more events like this in the future. 

What do you think about this elephant breaking and entering? Have you ever seen anything like this before? Let us know your thoughts, and don't forget to pass this story on to your friends and family.