A snake wrangler stood on a branch to save a large python stuck up a tree.

Rescuer Witsanu responded to a call from a local who spotted the 18ft reptile that had coiled above a hardwood in a garden in Pathum Thani, Thailand on September 26.

Footage shows Witsanu using a stick to reach for the reptile and push it off the branch. He then pulled it down and was soon untangled from the tree.

Colleagues caught and secured it when it was on the ground, carrying it to an open space before securing it in a bucket.

Witsanu said: ‘The snake was big, so teams from Asorapit Pathum Thani Association and Rangsit City firefighters went to help.'

It took the volunteers almost half an hour before they caught the animal.

It was taken to the rescue facility before being released into the wild.

Resident Suwannee Namseelee, 60, said: ‘The snake was seen by a gardener at night, but we thought it was a wasp nest. In the morning, it was still there and not leaving the spot. We thought it was stuck, so we called for help.'

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.