A wild monitor lizard refused to leave the school balcony ledge before leaping two storeys down unscathed.

The stubborn reptile was spotted by students crawling on the building and informed their teacher, who rushed to help in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 10.

But after teacher Thanom Promsuwan did his best to calm the creature and usher it inside, the beast instead went the other way and fell.

Footage shows the lizard jumping and landing on the concrete 15ft-high drop. Its body slapped on the floor but appeared unhurt.

Thanom said: ‘I did my best. I'm just relieved it was fine, or my students would have been traumatised.'

The creature scampered out of the teacher and students' sight after the rescue mission failed.

Asian water monitor lizards normally live in canals, swamps, sewers and ponds in cities in Thailand. They feed on fish, snakes, frogs and scraps of food left by humans.

The reptiles are aggressive when threatened and have a mildly venomous bite which sometimes carries harmful bacteria. The Godzilla-like reptiles are also a protected species in the country so their population thrives.