Animal catchers were led on a frantic chase as they pursued a 'bandit macaque' that stole a live chicken from a local in Thailand.

Officerd received a report from worried residents that the monkey thief had fled carrying the one-year-old fowl in Udon Thani province on August 11.

Staff were dispatched to the scene with tranquiliser guns to neutralise the monkey, which they found running across the roofs of buildings in the Soi Sittisiri area.

Footage shows the rescue crew walking along steep ledges as they followed the marauding primate. They tried to lure it out in the open using bananas, but it proved evasive, and wove through trees and balconies to escape.

The animal was finally cornered when it was hit with two sedative darts that slowed its movement. A third shot incapacitated it, and it was successfully contained in a cage to be released into its natural habitat.

Homeowner Suwat Thitipreecha, 60, said: 'While I was outside feeding my chickens, I found that one of them had vanished from its cage. I later found the chicken unharmed on the ground and suspected the monkey of snatching it. I've seen it roaming around here this week.'

Other locals have also reported being disturbed by the macaque.

Noodle vendor Pranee Korsangalak, 46, said she had also been seeing the monkey in the area for the past three days, climbing roofs and even swiping a banana from her shop's display.

Officers from the Mueang Udon Thani Police Station and Protected Areas Regional Office 10 believe the female crab-eating macaque was around three years old based on photos.

It will be taken to the Forest Protection Division No. 5 in Khon Kaen province before being released into nature.