Pet cat named Simba scares away four-tonne elephant wandering in its garden

Incredible pictures have emerged of the moment a four-tonne elephant is chased away by a pet cat.

The 35-year-old elephant, knows as Pai Salick, can be seen wandering into the garden of the cat's owner before he is confronted by the three-year-old kitty, named Simba.

Far from escaping the enormous beast - which is capable of killing a human with a single step - the cat is seen squaring up to him.

Frightened by the feline's apparently unwavering resolve to guard his owner's garden, Pai is captured turning around and fleeing empty-trunked.

Residents said the elephant is a "nuisance" known for trampling on people's gardens in search of food.

The elephant is known by locals for trampling onto people's garden in search for food (ViralPress / SWNS)

Local park ranger Amnat Norasin said: ''The elephant lives in the forest but he often walks around the homes at night to look for food. People know who he is.

"The house owner said his cat is aggressive and doesn't like other animals entering his territory.''

An estimated 2,000 elephants are living in the wild in Thailand and a similar number in captivity. In the wild, they roam through the deep jungle and in the country's protected national parks.

Pai Salick usually lives in the forest but approaches locals' homes in search for food at night (ViralPress / SWNS)

However, there is a conflict when they come in contact with humans who also use the area of farming and gathering food.

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