Rescue volunteers treated an injured king cobra that was shot with a BB gun.

The snake catchers arrived after terrified residents noticed the 13ft king cobra slithering across a yard in Chanthaburi province in eastern Thailand on March 28.

Upon arrival, they found the reptile bleeding from two bullet wounds. The team carefully restrained the cobra before retrieving the plastic pellets lodged deep between its scales. They then treated its injuries with saline water and disinfectant.

Footage shows the specialists luring the king cobra into a plastic container. It was later released into the wild, away from residential areas.

Snake catcher Thanwa Singkhiri said: 'If you encounter a snake, please contact experts instead of trying to catch it yourself. Use a long stick to gently fend it off. Most snakes actually fear humans and will try to escape.'

Researchers found that more than 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.