This is the astonishing moment a five-year-old boy played with a pet COBRA in the rice field next to their house.

The little snake handler struggled to walk through the muddy ground while dragging the reptile through the paddies in North Cotabato, the Philippines on November 1.

The youngster walked towards the house where excited neighbours were waiting to have a look at the serpent coiled around his little arms.

He did not show any sign of fear despite the snake's repeated attempts to bite his fingers.

Kim Jake Tabacolde, who lives nearby, filmed the boy as it interacted with the deadly reptile.

At first, the farmer was worried that the venomous snake could bite the little boy and hurt him.

However, he found out that the boy's father had already removed its teeth before giving it to his son as a pet.

The father and son had caught the snake together when it rampaged into their front yard earlier in the morning.

Kim said: "I found out that the boy's father actually saw the snake and removed the teeth before giving it to the child, so there was nothing to worry about."

Local officials found out about the snake and took it from the boy's house to send to the rehabilitation centre where it will be taken care of.

They also reminded the locals not to keep wild animals as pets as it could be dangerous especially for children.

Veterinarians from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will assess the snake's health since its teeth were removed before rehabilitation.