A couple were shocked when a massive king cobra emerged in their living room while they were watching TV.

The 12ft long snake emerged from a cardboard box in the corner of the room in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand, on Friday afternoon February 24.

Husband Prachit Thongdonpho, 59, and his wife Sopha, 52, watched in horror as the deadly snake slithered up the wall of their bungalow.

He called the emergency services and wildlife handlers arrived at the home. They caught the snake and released it back into the wild around 15 miles from the village.

Traumatised wife Sopha said: 'The snake was as thick as my calf. It was so big it could have eaten a cow.'

Researchers found that 7,000 people are treated for snake bites each year in Thailand. Suchai Suteparuk from the Division of Toxicology at Chulalongkorn University reported that 30 of those die, with cobras being the biggest killer.