A monitor lizard was helped after wandering around with its head stuck inside a discarded tin of food.

The reptile is believed to have been sniffing the rubbish while looking for food in Krabi, southern Thailand on Thursday afternoon (February 27).

Locals saw the creature scampering around the grass at the back of a mosque. It could not see and did not know where it was walking.

Muslim devotee Wansuk, 50, was cut short his prayers to help the lizard. He used a stick to try and nudge the can out of the lizard's snout.

However, the lizard kept wriggling away. It took Wansuk 20 minutes before he eventually removed the can so the lizard could scamper away into the nearby woodland.

The kind-hearted local said he had heard the reptile the night before but thought it was just passing through the yard.

He said: "I heard the sound of an animal in the bush when I came to pray last night but I did not bother to have a look.

"But then I came again this afternoon and saw a monitor lizard staying still in the yard, I could see it had a can on its head.

"I went to have a look and saw it appeared to be exhausted. It had probably had its head stuck for a few days so I decided to help it."

Checking the can, Wansuk found signs of food inside and he believed the hungry reptile may have been trying to eat it when he became stuck.

He added: ''This is a good reminder to recycle rubbish properly so that animals aren't harmed.''