Brave snake wranglers used their bare hands to catch a deadly king cobra in Thailand.

The animal rescue team received a report to remove the venomous snake from a house in Chonburi province on January 10.

They found the creature hiding in a corner of a storehouse and used poles to prod it out of its hiding spot.

Snake catcher Kamolwan Thongdaeng, 39, then dragged the 13ft-long snake by its tail into an open space.

Footage shows Kamolwan squaring off against the king cobra in the resident's yard. With one quick swoop, the fearless woman then pinned the snake by its head.

The homeowner Chakkraphong Detakarapaisan, 54, said the space was previously used as a plastic recycling shop that has since ceased operations. He said he called the team when he heard something clattering in the area before finding the snake slithering inside.

The king cobra was sealed inside a sack and later freed into a forest.

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.