A fisherman was shocked after catching a cobra in one of his basket traps in Thailand.

Chanidapa Kaewpradab, 35, placed several fish traps along a river in Na Thawi District, Songkhla province.

The fisherman left the traps until afternoon and returned for them after a couple of hours to check his catch.

On January 23, he noticed one of his baskets shaking lightly so he went to have a look if had caught a big river fish.

However, as he pulled it up, he saw the fierce 11ft-long cobra trapped inside trying to free itself from the basket.

The frantic angler slowly placed the trap back into the water and called the animal rescuers for help.

As the snake was already secured inside the trap, the rescue team only had to pinch its neck with a noose attached to a pole.

They were able to quickly grab the snake without harming it and took it with them for release.

One of the rescuers said that the cobra may have been attracted to feed on the fish caught in the net only to be trapped when it sneaked inside.

He said: ‘The hungry cobra may have been trying to steal the fisherman’s catch before it was trapped.’