A ferocious monitor lizard was caught after rampaging through a house in Thailand.

Chutima Nhafa, 55, found the reptile looking for food in her living room in Krabi province on November 25 afternoon.

The frantic woman called the local animal rescue team while neighbours gathered round the property to stop the lizard from escaping.

Chutima said: ''My neighbour told me she saw the lizard run inside my house.

''I went inside to look and found it under the stairs. I was too scared to chase it away so I contacted the rescue team.''

The rescue team rushed to her house and found the lizard hiding under the staircase.

They tried to lure the animal out but it was refusing to take the bait and becoming aggressive.

Three rescuers had to corner the ferocious reptile and pin it down using a catching rod before they were able to secure it with a rope.

After the lizard was tied, they took it out of the property but it was continuously trying to wriggle out of the rope.

The relieved house owner thanked the team, who tied the monitor lizard into a gurney since it was too big for a sack they normally use. They left the house with the lizard, which was released back into the wild unharmed.