Overview

• On June 2 in Nakhon Ratchasima, a 25-year-old male elephant named Plai Biang Lek entered a grocery store and spent about 10 minutes foraging through the snack aisles.
• The elephant consumed roughly 10 bags of candy plus dried bananas and peanuts, leaving an unpaid bill of about 800 baht (around $25).
• Shop owner Khamploi Kakaew and ranger Danai Sookkhanthachat described Plai Biang Lek’s calm, deliberate movements and noted his prior food raids on nearby homes.
• Officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation guided the animal back into Khao Yai National Park and have deployed patrols to deter further incursions.
• Conservationists warn that expanding agricultural land into wildlife habitats is intensifying conflicts in Thailand, which hosts more than 4,000 wild elephants.