Monitor lizard tries forcing its way into supermarket in search of food
Monitor lizard tries forcing its way into supermarket in search of food

This is the astonishing moment a wild monitor lizard tried to force its way inside a supermarket in search of food.

The hungry creature emerged from a canal and began frantically pushing against the closed glass door.

Footage shows how terrified staff had to barricade themselves inside the 7-Eleven store in Bangkok, Thailand.

The ferocious 4ft long reptile tried to push through the door to get inside before being ushered away.

Passing musician Arm Teeraphat, who recorded the lizard at the shop, said: "Everyone was shocked to see such a big lizard in a public area.

They must have been very hungry to walk into an area where there are so many humans.'' Incredibly, on the same day another wild monitor lizard was seen in the same part of the city also looking for food, by crawling along shop awnings.

Footage shows how it clambered along the roof for more than five minutes before slipping and falling onto the road below, where waiting firemen pounced on it.

Jirapa Malasri, the resident who filmed the lizard on shop awnings in the Onnut district of the city, said: "I saw something moving on the roof, so I stopped to look and realised it was a massive monitor lizard.

I was scared it would fall on somebody below but luckily it was captured.'' The scenes sparked fears that increasing numbers of reptiles were venturing into urban areas in search of food.

The increase in sightings may also be down to the effects of the coronavirus, which has caused restaurants and street food stands to close, reducing the amount of scraps that the reptiles can forage and forcing them to search in busier areas.

The sightings came after British tourist Sandra Roberts recorded a wild monitor lizard swimming through a closed hotel swimming pool - also in Bangkok - on April 25 Footage shows how the reptile had ventured into the area which was deserted due to the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 and enjoyed a dip on the pool.