An aggressive monitor lizard was freed by reptile handlers after its head was trapped in a stone wall while it was trying to hide from them.

The beast had crawled into homeowner Prasit's property in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Thailand on May 26.

Prasit, 89, said he was alerted to the scaly trespasser's presence when his dog began barking continuously at the creature. However, the lizard was reportedly quite hostile, prompting the pensioner to call rescue volunteers to remove it before it could hurt anyone.

The officers arrived and found the monitor lizard in a corner of Prasit's garden. They managed to briefly capture it using a noose, but it repelled them by thrashing its tail around violently.

The slippery reptile then ran and tried to cram itself inside a hole in the wall, but ended up trapping itself. The volunteers had to widen the opening with a hammer before finally subduing the intruder.

The monitor lizard reportedly had wounds around its body and mouth from resisting the rescuers. It was sealed inside a sack with its mouth and feet bound.

Prasit said: 'I found the huge monitor lizard which seemed to be aggressive. I was afraid that it might harm my dog so I decided to call the rescuers to ask for help.'

He added that the lizard's visit may possibly an omen of good fortune.