Wild elephant causes chaos after walking across highway and raiding gardens

A wild elephant caused panic after venturing across a dual carriageway and stomping through nearby gardens.

The jumbo held up traffic when it emerged from woodland in Chonburi, eastern Thailand, today (March 19th) afternoon.

Rescue workers and police officers rushed to the scene and closed the road before leading the animal back into the jungle.

One of the residents said they found the female elephant rummaging through their farm and even taking a dip in a pond in their garden.

Police Major General Wanlop Thassanathanaphong said the elephant is eight-years-old and named Khiew Wahn. 

He said: "We are familiar with Khiew Wahn. She normally visits our village during the night and goes back into the jungle every morning."

The rescue workers guided the animal back into the wild after spending more than two hours getting it under control.

No one was harmed.