A sinister king cobra pinned under a wardrobe was rescued by snake catchers in Thailand.

The 10ft reptile had slithered into the cluttered abode to take shelter from the midday heat in Yala province on March 29.

The homeowner, a worker at a nearby durian orchard, called an animal rescue team after discovering the venomous snake wedged under a wooden wardrobe in the bedroom.

Phatcharin Prathummek, president of the Betong Animal Lover Club, arrived with a team of specialists and found the large snake's head wedged under the wardrobe, preventing it from moving. The venomous reptile hissed as they dragged it out from under the piece of furniture using a PVC pipe.

After a tense 10-minute effort, the team successfully freed the aggressive female snake. They then placed it in a sack and released it back into the wild.

Phatcharin said: 'The king cobra was female and extremely aggressive. It was spitting venom everywhere even after we secured its neck. I'm not sure how it managed to enter the house, especially with 12 dogs guarding the yard. It's also a mystery how it got stuck under the wardrobe. We believe it may have come from the rubber plantation on the other side of the property.'

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.