A chubby monitor lizard was rescued after it was stuck in a metal fence because of its huge belly.

Wanthanee Jamnongsorn, 41, was about to do some morning exercises when she heard the animal screeching in her yard in Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya, central Thailand on August 9.

She tried to free the reptile alone at first but later asked help from the rescuers who arrived with their tools.

The rescuers covered the struggling 6ft long beast's eyes with a cloth to calm it down as it had started to become aggressive.

Afterwards, they widened the space on the gate where it was stuck using a cutting machine.

The weary reptile was finally out of the narrow gap after 20 minutes with the help of the rescuers.

Wanthanee said the water monitor lizard might have been looking for some chicken in the yard and tried to escape when it didn't find any.

She said: "I looked for the animal when I heard it crying. I was stunned as I did not know how to rescue the suffering reptile. I thank the rescue team for saving its life."

The monitor lizard was stretched and tied across a wooden stick so the rescuers can easily transport it to a nearby river where it was released.