This is the moment wildlife handlers caught a monitor lizard by the tail on a family's home roof.

The homeowner dialled the animal rescue team to retrieve the reptile she discovered stuck in the ceiling in Nakhon Sawan, Thailand.

Footage shows one of the rescuers standing on a ladder, yanking the animal out.

Moments later, they successfully released it from the hole. They then transported the beast back to the wild, away from residential areas.

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.