This is the moment a wild monitor lizard stuck in a drain was pulled to safety by animal rescuers.

The team were called to the area after residents found the 4ft-long reptile trying to wiggle out of the narrow hole in Phetchaburi province, Thailand, on May 30.

Footage shows the two volunteers holding the creature - one gripped on its tail while the other on its upper body - and dragging it out.

One of the team members said the lizard tried to slip through the hole but its body was too big.

He said: ‘We helped take the reptile out. It thought it could slide down into the sewer through such a small passageway.'

The lizard was unhurt and later released into its habitat.

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, sometimes carrying harmful bacteria. The Godzilla-like reptiles are also a protected species in the country, so their population thrives.