This is the nerve-wracking moment a rescue team captured a massive king cobra hiding in the grass.

Two brave wildlife officers used a pole catcher to safely remove the 13ft (4m) snake from a vacant residential area in Trang, Thailand, on January 19.

Footage shows the rescuers pulling the serpent by its tail from a large pipe.

At one point, they were forced to back away quickly when the cobra briefly lunged at them.

After the challenging operation, they successfully caught the venomous reptile and carefully placed it into a large black bin.

Local media reported that the cobra would be released into a forest far from residential areas to prevent any danger to locals.

The venom of a king cobra is potent enough to kill 20 people or even an elephant with a single bite. It attacks the respiratory centres in the brain, leading to respiratory arrest and cardiac failure.

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.