Snake wranglers smashed holes in a resident's ceiling to catch a huge python hiding inside.

The animal catchers were called to the two-storey wooden house in Chonburi province when the homeowner spotted the serpent poking its head out from a hole in the ceiling on October 14.

Volunteers arrived and received permission from the resident to tear down the ceiling panels. However, the snake proved elusive and kept slithering away whenever it was found by the specialists.

After a grueling two hours, the rescuers finally cornered the beast, coiled in a corner under the roof. They dragged it down and hauled it outside the house to be released into nature.

The relieved homeowner said: 'I keep 10 cats in a caged area in the house. I was afraid the python would attack them. It seemed to be trying to hunt them.'

Villagers said the python had been seen lurking in the residential area several times before it was finally captured.

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.