This is the dramatic moment a group of fishermen freed a whale shark caught in their net.

Footage shows four anglers carefully cutting through the large mesh to release the struggling sea creature in the middle of the ocean off Myanmar.

One man, wearing a green long-sleeve shirt, used a knife to tear the net apart in Ayeyarwady on June 15.

After a painstaking effort, they managed to free the animal, which then swam away safely.

The filmer said: 'The whale was fine and was not hurt from being caught in our net.'

Whale sharks, the world's largest fish, are gentle filter feeders that can grow up to 40 ft (12 metres) long.

Despite their size, they are often injured or killed by fishing trawlers, contributing to their vulnerable status on the IUCN Red List.