This is the moment a rope holding a monitor lizard broke during a reptile catching operation.

Specialists had managed to catch the large beast lurking in the neighbourhood in Samut Prakan, Thailand on May 27, and were about to haul it into their truck when the rope suddenly snapped.

The rescuers had to recapture the reptile, which was luckily already exhausted at the time.

The officers said the wild animal was released into a forest at a nearby temple.

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.