Thai shopkeepers were forced to address the elephant in the room – or in this case in a store after the animal made his way into store.
A large wild elephant caught shopkeepers off guard at a convenience store in Thailand as it entered the shop looking for snacks.
In the viral CCTV footage, the mammal could be seen entering the store and focusing on food, without a care in the world.
Shop owner Khamploi Kakaew shared with CNN, "Business was a bit slow that day. Around 2 p.m., the elephant just walked right up. I came out and tried to shoo it away. I told it not to come closer."
The store, located in Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast of the capital Bangkok, and near the Khao Yai National Park, is a place where elephants are a usual sight.
The 27-year-old male elephant, Plai Biang Lek, is well known in the area.
According to the shopkeeper, Plai stayed in the shop for around 10 minutes, and unlike other elephants who prefer bamboo, grasses, and bananas, he went straight for the sweets.
Park rangers were called to guide the elephant away after much coaxing.
A kind gesture from wildlife protection group
Following the unexpected stealing, a wildlife protection group offered shopkeepers 800 baht for the sweet as in the pretext of "sponsoring the elephant's snack bill."
Notably, elephants are Thailand's national animal, and have seen serious decline in population in recent decades.
Experts estimated that the wild elephant population has dwindled to 3,000-4,000 from more than 100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century.
