A greedy wild elephant shunned jungle leaves and instead stopped passing trucks to steal sugarcane.

The 35-year-old jumbo nicknamed 'Fatty' by locals emerged from the forest on a road in Chachoengsao province, Thailand, on December 29.

He walked in front of the vehicles forcing them to slow down, then reached up to the sweet-smelling cargo in their trailers.

Footage shows the bull gorging on the sweet snacks freshly harvested from nearby fields before they arrive at factories to make sugar.

Some truck drivers even had to swerve into the opposite lane to avoid being raided by the powerful beast.

Onlooker Au Wanapin said: 'This elephant is called 'Fatty' because of how much food he eats. He is about 35, male, and does not have tusks.

'He's a wild elephant but he comes out of the woods every year in this area to wait for sugarcane trucks. There are many of them, he's not the only elephant that does this.'

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild where they wander freely among protected forests. Male Asian elephants, unlike African elephants, roam alone once they are over 10 years old while females remain with the herd.

Wildlife officials believe that smart wild elephants have honed the habit of stealing fresh food from vehicles, which provide a plentiful source of food.

However, it is not because they are hungry. Officials believe elephants simply target homes and trucks because they prefer the tastier food over what they can forage for in the jungle.

Elephants are protected animals in Thailand and killing them carries a maximum prison term of up to three years and a fine of 1,000 baht (25GBP).

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