This is the astonishing moment a herd of wild elephants stop traffic so they can cross the road.

The jumbos ambled out of the forest and ventured onto the highway in Chachoengsao, eastern Thailand, last Monday (March 9) evening.

Drivers had to wait anxiously while the animals stomped past to reach woodland on the opposite side.

Incredibly, it took more than 40 minutes for them to clear the road, with many milling around.

The older elephants appeared to be overseeing the migration and helping the usher the younger creatures across.

Motorist Krom Prompiban recorded the scene while she was travelling to the local market.

She said: "I have never met a big herd of elephants like this before. It took more than 40 minutes for them all to get across.

''It was worth waiting, because it was a very special sight. Everybody had to stay quiet so they didn't scare the elephants.''

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.