http://youtu.be/fgrWmAzs4Ao
This is the spectacular moment more than 100 wild elephants emerged from the forest and crossed a road in Thailand.
The jumbo herd had been travelling together to search for another area with enough food for their extended group in the Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary in Chachoengsao province on April 4.
Park officials worried that the jumbos could be hurt as they constantly cross highways and mountain roads to reach the edge of the sanctuary so they followed where the herd movement.
District chief Thanakrit Chantajumrussin said they were watching over the jumbos to protect them from harm as they reached nearby villages and farms.
He said: ‘We watch over them and even try to push them back to the forest whenever we can but they are such a big herd and we could only follow them for now.
‘The elephants usually come out of the sanctuary to find food in other areas especially when their sources have become scarce.’
He added that more volunteers have come forward to work with the officials as the hungry herd could attack people during possible encounters in farms or villages.
However, the group had not had an incident of raiding crops of homes yet and were generally a calm herd searching for food.
Chief Thanakrit said: ‘Fortunately we have not seen them destroy anything in their path yet. The crops were also saved from the elephants after close cooperation with the locals.’
Elephants are the national animal of Thailand. An estimated 2,000 elephants are living in the wild and a similar number in captivity.
In the wild, they roam through the deep jungle and in the country’s protected national parks but often encounter humans on roads and in villages. However, they are protected by laws and killing them carries a maximum prison term of up to three years and a fine of 1,000 baht ($32 or £25).
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