An elusive python stumped rescuers trying to catch it after it crawled inside a pickup truck's engine compartment in Saraburi province, Thailand.

Thanakron Thaengthong, 41, called volunteer snake wranglers of the Sawang Rattana Tri Thammasathan Foundation on May 2 asking them to catch the serpent that had slithered into the vehicle.

Officers searched the pickup and found the snake's tail sticking out from one of the rear fenders. They tried to pull it out, but it was firmly stuck between the gaps. Fearing they might injure it, the volunteers allowed the python to slip further up the pickup truck.

It later reemerged in the engine compartment, this time coiling tightly around the truck's gearbox to prevent capture. The desperate rescuers started the engine, thinking its heat would drive the reptile out into the open - to no avail. Hosing the engine down also proved ineffective.

A woman at the office even tried to invoke supernatural aid by lighting incense sticks and praying for the snake to leave the pickup truck.

Out of options, the officers used a forklift to get a better view of the vehicle's underside. They found the troublesome animal lodged in the chassis and dragged it out using their tools. The rescue operation took about three hours to complete.

The 11-foot python was covered in oil. It was sealed inside a sack before being freed in the wild.

Thanakorn said: 'I usually check the truck’s engine everyday in the morning, but that day, I drew back when I found a massive python in the pick-up truck’s engine compartment. I opened the hood to check again, but it had moved away to the fuel tank.'