This is the heartwarming moment villagers rescued a giant Mola mola fish stranded on a beach in Indonesia.

Footage shows the locals pushing the massive sea creature back into open waters after it washed ashore near seaside homes in Labuhan Burung Village in West Nusa Tenggara province on December 1.

Resident Fadila Safitri, 34, said on December 2: 'We found it yesterday, stranded on the shore of Labuhan Burung. We didn't eat it. We returned it to the sea because we didn't know what to do with it. It took three people because it was so heavy.'

Fadila added that they dived into the water to escort the fish as it swam back into the deeper part of its natural habitat.

Mola mola, or ocean sunfish, are commonly found in tropical oceans. They are the heaviest of all bony fish, capable of weighing nearly 5,000 pounds. The harmless marine creatures, which resemble a giant flattened fish head with no tail, are also known to be curious and will often approach nearby divers.

In West Nusa Tenggara province, they are usually found in the waters around the Panjang and Saringi Islands from July to December.

The extant species is protected by the Indonesian government. It is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.