A rescue team caught a king cobra on top of a tree in Thailand.

Shocked locals spotted the king cobra on top of a mangosteen tree in Chanthaburi province on October 22.

The snake handlers arrived at the scene and found the 13-foot-long king cobra resting among the tree’s branches. As they tried to climb using a ladder, the cobra slithered away to another tree to hide.

The rescue team then used a long wooden stick to fish the cobra out from its hiding spot. The serpent fell to the ground and bared its fangs at its captors while trying to escape.

Reptile handler Nattaphon Suangam said: ‘The villagers told me they have never seen a king cobra this size. It was about 13-foot-long and weighed about eight kilograms.

‘We believe the king cobra came from the wild. Fortunately, it only hid on the tree and did not hurt anybody.’

The team carried the snake in a plastic container and brought it back to inspect its condition before freeing it into the wild.