An escaped crocodile was caught after spending two days enjoying the feast of its life in a fully stocked fish pond.

The 7ft long reptile broke free from its enclosure before scampering into the reservoir packed with tilapia fish in Angthong province, Thailand.

A local farmer noticed the beast's eyes poking out of the water and alerted the police who arrived with animal handlers.

They finally brought an end to the croc's meals by draining the water and wading through the pond.

Several local children help to catch the crocodile and drag it ashore.

Fish pond owner Manop Prasatsin, 52, said: ''One of the villagers told me there was a crocodile in the pond and I said that couldn't be possible. But they were sure they had seen its mouth and eyes.

''So I went to look and waited for it to appear. We called the police and rescue service and we all helped to catch it.

''I'm not sure how many of my fish it had eaten but if it had stayed in there much longer there might not have been any left.''

The crocodile is believed to have escaped from a reptile farm in the area.

It was captured and driven away to a nearby animal research centre and will spend the rest of its days helping scientists to understand crocodile behaviour.

An escaped crocodile was caught after spending two days enjoying the the feast of its life in a fully stocked fish pond.

The 7ft long reptile broke free from its enclosure before scampering into the reservoir packed with tilapia fish in Angthong province, Thailand.

A local farmer noticed the beast's eyes poking out of the water and alerted the police who arrived with animal handlers.

They finally brought an end to the croc's meals by draining the water and wading through the pong.

Several local children help to catch the crocodile and drag it ashore.

Fish pond owner Manop Prasatsin, 52, said: ''One of the villagers told me there was a crocodile in the pond and I said that couldn't be possible. But they were sure they had seen its mouth and eyes.

''So I went to look and waited for it to appear. We called the police and rescue service and we all helped to catch it.

''I'm not sure how many of my fish it had eaten but if it had stayed in there much longer there might not have been any left.''

The crocodile is believed to have escaped from a reptile farm in the area.

It was captured and driven away to a a nearby animal research centre and will spend the rest of its days helping scientists to understand crocodile behaviour.