Hungry hungry elephant raids grocery store and hardly hurts a fly
When a massive elephant entered a small grocery shore in Thailand in search of snacks, chaos did not ensue.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
When Plai Biang Lek is hungry, there’s not much that can stop him.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Biang is an elephant, a 27-year-old elephant who lives in a national park northeast of Bangkok. Now, typically, wild elephants eat 300 pounds or more of grasses, shrubs and fruit.
SUMMERS: Biang is no exception. But on Monday, it seems he was interested in diversifying his diet with a little treat.
KELLY: Yeah, maybe he was having a hard day, or maybe he had just hit a big goal of some sort. Juana, does he really need a reason?
SUMMERS: Absolutely not. Whatever his motivation, though, he headed out of the park and into town where he ducked his head through the door of a small grocery store. On video from the shop’s cameras, he basically fills the shop. His back literally brushes the ceiling as he casually scans the inventory.
KELLY: The shop owner, Khamploi Kakaew (ph), told CNN it had been kind of a slow day until Biang showed up. She says he walked up to the candy counter, gently pushed a freezer out of the way and proceeded to eat about 10 bags of sweets, dried bananas and peanut snacks.
SUMMERS: After about 10 minutes, park rangers were able to coax Biang out of the store. And the whole thing is pretty incredible. Yes, sometimes human and elephant encounters can turn violent.
KELLY: Yeah, but this one, honestly – Biang’s shopping trip – was almost elegant. No one, no elephant was hurt. Damage to the shop was minimal. A wildlife protection group even offered to pay Biang’s bill.
SUMMERS: So next time you need a little treat, maybe be a little like Biang. But hey, don’t forget your wallet.
(SOUNDBITE OF QUINCY JONES’ “BABY ELEPHANT WALK”)
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