Wild elephant pokes head through window to raid military kitchen

Incredible footage shows a wild elephant in eastern India peeping through the window of a military canteen to beg for ‘roti’ or Indian bread, before trying to steal some other food.

The incident took place at a remote camp run by Border Security Force (BSF), an Indian paramilitary force, at Meghalaya-Bangladesh border on February 8.

A video shot by the BSF personnel at the kitchen captures the antics of the foodie elephant. The men can be heard politely asking the elephant to go away and also joking that the wall would cave in if the elephant struck it to come in.

An officer said a few personnel had been leaving extra food outside the camp and a wild elephant had got used to feeding on it.

After the personnel were instructed to stop feeding the elephant, it sniffed its way inside and peeped through the kitchen window demanding food.

It waited for the personnel, who were making rotis, to give it some food, but when they refused it tried to find some rotis on its own.

It picked up a broom that was lying on the floor, pulled it out of the window, and then overturned a kitchen cart, which was laden with spices. As the spices fell on the floor it picked them up with its trunk and sampled them.

The officer said the elephant went away on its own after sometime.

“We are used to elephants raiding our kitchen in this border outpost. They are usually harmless,” he added.