Elephant emerges from Thai family's garden with stolen grapefruit in its trunk

This is the moment a hungry elephant emerges from a family's garden carrying a stolen grapefruit in its trunk.

This is the moment a hungry elephant emerges from a family's garden carrying a stolen grapefruit in its trunk.

The two jumbos sparked panic when they left the jungle and began raiding the fruit grove in Nakhon Nayok, Thailand, last Wednesday (April 15).

Wildlife rangers descended on the area and captured the pair walking out from a garden and crossing the road.

They then found a nearby pond to cool off in, with drone footage showing the elephants splashing themselves with water.

National Park officers said the elephants have been stealing food from residential areas after months of drought have caused a shortage in the dense forest where they live.

Nakhon Nayok wildlife chief Uthen Sawang said: "The drought has affected the food sources in the mountains so some of the elephants come downhill to local villages in search for food.'' After successfully herding the elephants back to the mountains, the officers made warning signs for locals and road users to be aware of the wild elephants.

Last week, an elephant was recorded stopping passing cars to rummage through them for food in Phetchaburi province.

It stopped a a green Isuzu before grab loose vegetables from the back and stuffing them into its mouth.

There are an estimated 2,000 that live in the wild in Thailand and park rangers believe that many have evolved by learning how to steal food from vehicles when they are hungry.