Greedy elephant uses its trunk to rummage for snacks in Jeep scaring tourists on safari in incredible footage

Video footage shows the moment a greedy elephant terrified a group of tourists on safari when it used its trunk to rummage around their Jeep for a snack.

Ilona Johansson Jänkänpää, 22, was on a safari ride with her boyfriend Jacob Tillberg, 24, and some friends when an elephant ran at their vehicle and put its trunk through the window to search for food in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.

The driver can be seen reversing as the elephant slowly starts to approach the vehicle. The elephant picks up pace and wraps its trunk around the back of the Jeep, where Ilona and her friends are sitting. As the elephant sweeps its trunk around the vehicle’s floor, two of the Jeep’s occupants opt to move from where they are sitting to avoid the elephant.

The driver tries to reassure his passengers saying "it's ok, don't worry" and "don't move". The elephant eventually leaves after it is unsuccessful in finding snacks. The Jeep drives off, with the friends laughing in relief.

Ilona, from Gällivare, Sweden, said: "He [the elephant] started to run up to us, looking for food in the Jeep, and we panicked. It was just looking for food, but I was scared because it looked so aggressive.

"It only lasted a couple of minutes but it felt like a long time because we didn't know how it would react. The trip was worth it in the end but it's definitely an experience I'll remember my whole life. It was terrifying in the moment but now we can look back and laugh!"