A runaway crocodile was caught five days after escaping from a Buddhist temple.

The nine-year-old reptile named Thongdam climbed out of his enclosure at the Khok Salut temple in Phitsanulok, central Thailand on March 1.

Abbot Pipat Arjankhun was shocked when he went to feed the creature and found it missing. He said that CCTV showed a dog barking at the 7ft long crocodile, which then pushed through a glass viewing window.

The monk reported the incident to the authorities, who finally found the animal last Thursday (March 5) after locals noticed it basking next to the Nan River.

Abbot Pipat said that the temple had recently improved the enclosure and did not expect the reptile to escape.

He said: "We have just reconstructed the crocodile pool with bricks and a glass window for visitors to watch.

"It was quite surprise that Thongdum pushed through the glass out and squeezed itself out through the gap."

The rescue team spent five days looking for the crocodile before receiving a report that it was around a mile away from the temple.

The alligator was frightened and escaped into the water before rescuers rode boats to capture it."

The district governor Wattana Suratmanee said the croc will not be back to the temple and will instead be released into a freshwater lake in Phichit province.

He said: "We will firstly send it to a freshwater rescue centre for treatment. It is for the well-being of the animal.''

A runaway crocodile was caught five days after escaping from a Buddhist temple.

The nine-year-old reptile named Thongdam climbed out of his enclosure at the Khok Salut temple in Phitsanulok, central Thailand on March 1.

Abbot Pipat Arjankhun was shocked when he went to feed the creature and found it missing. He said that CCTV showed a dog barking at the 7ft long crocodile, which then pushed through a glass viewing window.

The monk reported the incident to the authorities, who finally found the animal last Thursday (March 5) after locals noticed it basking next to the Nan River.

Abbot Pipat said that the temple had recently improved the enclosure and did not expect the reptile to escape.

He said: "We have just reconstructed the crocodile pool with bricks and a glass window for visitors to watch.

"It was quite surprise that Thongdum pushed through the glass out and squeezed itself out through the gap."

The rescue team spent five days looking for the crocodile before receiving a report that it was around a mile away from the temple.

The alligator was frightened and escaped into the water before rescuers rode boats to capture it."

The district governor Wattana Suratmanee said the croc will not be back to the temple and will instead be released into a freshwater lake in Phichit province.

He said: "We will firstly send it to a freshwater rescue centre for treatment. It is for the well-being of the animal.''