This the moment terrified locals caught an escaped crocodile after it rampaged through a village.

Shocked residents noticed the 8-foot-long beast crawling into a bush in the street in Saraburi, central Thailand on Tuesday (July 2).

They called the emergency services and told them it was a baby monitor lizard. But when the rescue worker arrived they were horrified to find a killer crocodile, which had broken free from a farm in Pak Phriao subdistrict.

Reinforcements arrived with catching equipment after the team was too scared to tackle the reptile alone.

Footage shows how five volunteers were slowly approaching the crocodile with lassos but the young croc shook them off and fled quickly to the house nearby.

The team then began their second attempt. Two rescuers were holding the croc's tail and his neck with a lasso while the other brought a cloth to cover his eyes, preventing him from being panicked during the ordeal.

The croc's mouth was taped shut before the officers could recapture him and take him back to the farm.

The rescue foundation said in a statement: ''We were very surprised when seeing the crocodile instead of a small lizard. None of us had experienced catching it before, so it was quite challenging.

''The crocodile was not injured during the rescue, so we safely returned him to the owner.''

This the moment terrified locals caught an escaped crocodile after it rampaged through a village.

Shocked residents noticed the 8ft long beast crawling into a bush in the street in Saraburi, central Thailand on Tuesday (02/07).

They called the emergency services and told them it was a baby monitor lizard. But when the rescue worker arrived they were horrified to find a killer crocodile, which had broken free from a farm in Pak Phriao subdistrict.

Reinforcements arrived with catching equipment after the team were too scared to tackle the reptile alone.

Footage shows how five volunteers were slowly approaching the crocodile with lassos but the young croc shook them off and fled quickly to the house nearby.

The team then began their second attempt. Two rescuers were holding the croc's tail and his neck with a lasso while the other brought a cloth to cover his eyes, preventing him from being panicked during the ordeal.

The croc's mouth was taped shut before the officers could recapture him and take him back to the farm.

The rescue foundation said in a statement: ''We were very surprised when seeing the crocodile instead of a small lizard. None of us had experienced catching it before, so it was quite challenging.

''The crocodile was not injured during the rescue, so we safely returned him to the owner.''