This is the scary moment a Buddhist monk kept his cool even as a large king cobra slithered under his seat.

Phra Ajahn Wiboon Thamtecho did not even rise from his chair when the venomous reptile emerged from the nearby forest and crawled into the Wat Phuttha Uthon Doi Insee temple in Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand, on November 19.

CCTV footage shows how the cleric merely folded his legs away from the floor while warning visitors to leave the area as the 10-foot-long serpent crept close.

Rescue volunteers later arrived at the scene and caught the king cobra, which had slipped into a cardboard box under a desk, in just five minutes.

Upon inspection, the team found that the snake had a 10-centimetre-long injury along its tail.

Despite their fear of the animal, the kind temple visitors promised to foot the snake's veterinary bills.

The monk said: ‘A shocked cyclist hurt the cobra while it was crossing the road from a reservoir.

'The snake is now receiving treatment and should be released back into the temple forest after a week.

The Wat Phuttha Uthon Doi Insee temple has a fertile forest with an area of 8,025 acres that is also a non-hunting area. It was built 17 years ago and has become a sanctuary for animals of all kinds.

Wiboon said: 'King cobras will never hurt anyone first. For instance, the one that I met here fled because it was chased and attacked. It was only looking for comfort. If you don't hurt animals, they won't hurt you.'