A passing tourist boat rescued a squirrel stranded in the middle of a lake.

The island hoppers were on a day trip tour when they spotted the rodent struggling to stay afloat in Surat Thani, southern Thailand, on February 23.

Boat captain Naruechai Chamnonghan stopped the engine to prevent scaring the exhausted creature and used an oar to scoop up the anima. He then gave him a ride back to land.

Footage shows the 12-inch-long black giant squirrel wading in the water about 13ft-away from the boat. Using a paddle, the boatmen went closer to the animal before it was fished out.

Naruechai said: ‘The squirrel appeared to be a great swimmer but kept stopping. Maybe because it was tired from swimming a long distance.

‘We took it onto our boat to rest and join us. The tourists were very happy to have it onboard with us.'

In another clip, the squirrel was seen sitting on the paddle by the nose of the boat.

Naruechai added: ‘We delivered the animal back to shore where we were also heading. I hope it will live a long and full life.'

The black giant squirrel is classified by the nongovernment organisation International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as ‘Near-Threatened' for their decreasing population.