A huge cobra was caught in a family's car in Thailand.

Nualchan Srion, 49, discovered the 12.6ft (3.85m) and over 22 lbs (10kg) highly venomous snake slithering in her front yard in Chanthaburi on February 19.

The frantic homeowner then called an animal rescue team to retrieve the wandering serpent from her home.

Moments later, wildlife experts arrived at the scene and found that the snake was nestled inside the engine compartment of a grey Isuzu pickup truck.

Footage shows men using animal pole catchers to carefully pull the reptile out of the vehicle.

However, it crawled up to the bonnet, prompting them to slowly open the hood to avoid startling it.

One of the rescuers then grabbed its neck with bare hands and yanked it out.

After successfully catching the animal, they placed it straight on the ground and measured it before releasing it back into the forest away from residential areas.

Nualchan said: 'I was beyond terrified because it was a big snake, and I fear that it will just bite us here at home. I am very grateful that the animal rescue team immediately came.'

The venom from 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.