A hot king cobra was found cooling off behind a family’s refrigerator.

The 4ft-long highly venomous snake is believed to have crawled inside the kitchen through the door that was left open in Saraburi province, Thailand on June 29.

It was discovered behind the appliance after the housewife heard its hissing sounds while she was on the way to the bathroom with her two-year-old child.

She then rushed out of the kitchen with her child and asked her husband to call the animal rescuers for help in evacuating the animal.

Husband Suraphat Chankaew, 28, said: ‘I heard my wife shouting and told me to call the rescuers immediately. We all went out of the house to avoid startling the snake.’

When the rescuers arrived, they found the snake was still cooped in its hiding space behind the refrigerator. They used a pole with a hook to lure it away from the fridge.

The snake slithered out of the appliance to escape and hid behind a box before it was pinned down by one of the volunteers. The rescuer operation lasted ten minutes.

The relieved house owner thanked the rescuers who placed the snake inside a net so they could take it with them safely for release back into the wild.

Suraphat said: ‘I am relieved that my family was unhurt. It did not attack my family and stayed hidden. The rescuers did a great job.’