This is the shocking moment a baby python was found curled up inside a cooking stove in Thailand.

The 4ft-long juvenile snake was sleeping on top of the burner when it was discovered by a resident in her kitchen in Ang Thong province on July 14.

It was believed to have hatched from a nest nearby and slithered inside the property to find food and spotted the warm spot to stay.

House owner Thitima Yimpong, 39, then dashed out of the kitchen and asked her sister to contact the animal rescuers for help.

Thitima said: ‘I was terrified. I had no idea what was hiding on my stove. I just went to cook breakfast in the kitchen but when I lifted the up the stove cover I found the animal sleeping.’

A female rescue volunteer gently picked up the snake by its neck as it was still sleeping in the same spot when the team arrived.

The reptile appeared tame and sweet as it slithered around the woman’s hands while she provided educational information to the house owner about snakes.

Snake wrangler Ratha Thapiantong said: ‘From its size, I think this python must be hardly a month old. I think the snake found its way into the kitchen to look for food.’

The baby python was taken by the animal rescuers with them in their facility to feed and rehabilitate before releasing into the wild.