A seven-foot monitor lizard was found eating a newborn on Wednesday (May 14) in a horrific discovery in a major city in . The reptile sparked alarm when it was spotted running around with the infant's remains in its mouth.

Paramedics and animal catchers arrived at the scene in Samut Prakan, 16 miles south of Bangkok. They found the reptile eating the foot in tall grass. The baby's head and torso were recovered nearby. However, the monitor lizard escaped under a concrete fence when they tried to catch it.

"The monitor lizard had dragged the baby's body under a nearby house, making it difficult to recover the remaining parts," said rescue volunteer Chaiwat Boonmee.

"The rest of the body was handed over to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death."

A resident, who reported the horror discovery to the police, said he initially mistook the baby's remains for a fish: "At first, I thought the monitor lizard had caught a fish. But upon closer inspection, I saw that it was actually a baby's body and quickly called for help.

"I felt sick to my stomach because the baby had been torn to pieces by the animal."

Authorities believe the baby was born two days before it was devoured by the monitor lizard.

An investigation is also underway to locate the child's parents, with the intention to bring legal action against them. In Thailand, the abandonment of a child under nine years old is punishable with a maximum three-year term, a fine of £135, or both.

While rare, as monitor lizards mostly feed on fish or small snakes, this is not the only occasion where a newborn baby has been eaten by the species in Thailand. In 2020, a newborn baby boy was eaten after being dumped next to a pond in Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south of the country.

A group of boys who went to play by the pond discovered the infant. A 10-year-old boy told police he smelled something strange and then noticed a black bag next to the water. He then reported the find to a security guard.