By Tim Binnall
A woman in Thailand was understandably astounded over the weekend when a hungry elephant burst through the wall of her kitchen in search of food. The wild incident reportedly occurred early Saturday morning in the village of Chalermkiatpattana as homeowner Ratchadawan Puengprasoppon was initially asleep. Her slumber came to a sudden and startling end when a curious commotion erupted in her kitchen. When Puengprasoppon bravely ventured into the room to see what was behind the ruckus, she was stopped in her tracked by the sight of an elephant's head poking through a huge hole in the wall.
While the seemingly ravenous pachyderm proceeded to search for food by plucking at pots and pans with its trunk, the bewildered homeowner was left wondering what to do and, in a sign of the times, ultimately opted to film the strange scene with her cell phone. Although it is uncertain how the encounter ultimately ended, it was later determined that the elephant came from the country's Kaeng Krachan national park. Superintendent of the sanctuary, Itthipon Thaimonkol, explained that the site's pachyderms have been known to venture into the nearby village when they get hungry.
"They come to visit quite often," he said, "they always come when there is the local market because they can smell food." Remarkably, this particular elephant had even visited Puengprasoppon's home on a previous occasion and caused considerable damage to her residence during that episode. Whether that is a coincidence or a sign that the pachyderm really appreciates Puengprasoppon's cooking is a question that only the creature, dubbed Boonchuay by park officials, could answer.