Villagers and forest officers work hard to release a 17-feet-long gharial, a fish-eating crocodile, into the Gandaki river in eastern India.

The group of men can be seen bravely sitting on the huge animal to restrain it before a steel safety cage is removed.

The officers count to three before letting the large animal go, and then immediately step away from it.

The crocodile doesn't realise straight away that it is no longer trapped. After a few seconds, it crawls towards the water.

Senior forest officer, Sunil Kumar Sharan, said: “The initial attempt to transport it in a plywood box failed as the crocodile broke through that easily. We then designed a steel harness with a soft cushion".

Before being released, the animal terrorised villagers for 10 days. The team of officers only managed to capture it on August 31.

The crocodile was released on September 3 in a sanctuary in Bagaha, on the Gandak river, 300 km from the village. The journey took over 10 hours. The wildlife sanctuary has over 450 crocodiles.

This was the terrifying moment a team of forest officials slogged to release a 17-feet-long crocodile into Gandak river in eastern India.

The men sat on the huge crocodile to restrain it after a steel harness, which was used to secure it, was removed. They followed a countdown and fled together to let the crocodile slip into the river.

The unusually huge gharial, a fish eating crocodile species, had strayed from the Sona river in Rohtas district in eastern India and terrorized the nearby villagers, for 10 days. A team of forest officials captured it on August 31 and decided to release it at a crocodile sanctuary in Bagaha on the Gandak river, 300 kms away.

Senior forest officer, Sunil Kumar Sharan, said: “The initial attempt to transport it in a plywood box failed as the crocodile broke through that easily. Then we designed a steel harness with a soft cushion to transport the crocodile.”

The crocodile was driven slowly over 10 hours to the sanctuary where it was freed from captivity on September 3.

A team of 25 officials and several local villagers were involved in the rescue and release of the crocodile.

Gharials, which were considered endangered a few years ago, are now increasing in number. The Gandak sanctuary has over 450 crocodiles according to a count.