Huge hissing lizard evicted from Phuket home

A monitor lizard with a hiss so ominous it caused a seasoned reptile wrangler to recoil in fear has been evicted from the bathroom of a Phuket home.

Wildlife rescue workers had a tough time extracting the large monitor after heavy rains inundated the Thai holiday island yesterday, the Phuket Gazettereports.

"It was quite a big monitor; about one-meter long," rescue worker Kasun Naepnean said.

"It was very strong and difficult to catch."

A video of the operation shows a rescuer pin the huge black lizard in a corner as it hisses menacingly before slapping its powerful tail against the wall.

The sudden movement caused the worker to jump back in panic but he quickly regained his composure and subdued the angry intruder.

Kasun said his team had already been called on to remove a cobra and python before they wrangled the monitor.

He said his team deal with snakes around five times a day.

"It's not just during the rainy season; dangerous animals can appear anywhere on the island, no matter what season it is", he said.

The lizard was released into the wild after being removed from the home.