Campers were shocked after a wild elephant destroyed their site and stole a bag of food.

The group were disturbed by the best in Nakhon Ratchasima, northern Thailand, on January 5.

They stood well back and could only watch as the jumbo trampled their tent, chairs and table.

A wildlife worker is heard in the video telling the elephant ''go back to the forest''. He adds: ''If there are any tourists that want to see you, then come back, but right now, please go back to the forest''.

After around one minute, the jumbo trudged away from the tents. It was carrying a bag of food in its trunk.

Wildlife officer Jatuporn Roongarn believes the elephant was in search of food after smelling the group's breakfast.

She said: ''They set up camp well away from the normal trails of the elephant but this hungry boy must have smelled something and left his herd.''

Thailand has between 3,000 and 4,000 elephants. Around half live in the wild in national parks, like the animal seen in the video, while the others are domesticated.

Jatuporn said the elephant disappeared back into the jungle after a few minutes rummaging through the camp site in search of food.

She added: ''The food was sealed to prevent any wild animals from smelling and coming to investigate, but this elephant had very good senses.''