Animal rescuers demonstrated how to safely catch a cobra.

Footage shows volunteers wrangling a live snake as villagers watched the demo in Chonburi, Thailand, on May 15.

One of them pulled the reptile by its tail while another officer tried to grab it by the neck.

While the beast was distracted, a third volunteer approached it from behind and clutched it by the neck. The cobra was then hauled into a bag.

Rescuer Phuthanet Yaemkaneng said: 'The king cobra was about to strike, but they dodged. They have years of experience catching and handling these deadly creatures.'

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.