A giant monitor lizard was caught hiding in a drain in a family’s backyard in Thailand.

The 7ft-long Godzilla-like reptile was spotted by a pet dog who barked at the creature outside its owner’s home in Chachoengsao province on April 26.

As the dog made noise to call the resident’s attention, the lizard tried its best to fit inside the narrow gap of a drain, apparently in a desperate attempt to hide.

However, it was too large to conceal itself until the house owner saw it and called the animal rescuers to catch it.

The house owner said: ‘The lizard was too big. It can easily attack children and hurt them. However, this one appeared to be shy and runs away when it sees people. We were just relieved our loyal dog found it.’

When the rescuers arrived, they secured its neck on a noose using a pole. It was too heavy for one rescuer so a colleague used his pole as well so they could carry the animal while a third one held its tail.

The lizard was tied with a rope and covered in cloth to prevent it from panicking and taken with the team to release into the wild.