A fearless resident caught an aggressive king cobra using bare hands.

Footage shows the man patting on the venomous serpent's tail to get its attention in Pattani province, Thailand on April 27.

The creature hissed at him, ready to bite at any moment baring its fangs, but he appeared skilful with snakes.

Soon after, he was able to pat its head and pin it down before successfully catching the cobra.

Relieved resident Karan Somjai said: ‘I was going to cook when I saw the cobra chasing a toad in my kitchen. I called my neighbour for help after that.'

Researchers found that 7,000 people are treated for snake bites each year in Thailand. Suchai Suteparuk from the Division of Toxicology at Chulalongkorn University reported that 30 of those die, with cobras being the biggest killer.