A dramatic video from Thailand captured the moment a volunteer worker caught a huge king cobra with his bare hands.

According to news website Thaiger, locals in the southern Thai province of Krabi informed authorities after the snake slithered into a palm plantation and tried to hide in a septic tank.

The giant cobra reportedly measured 4.5 metres (nearly 14 feet) and weighed over 10 kilograms. It took Sutee Naewhaad, a volunteer with a Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, nearly 20 minutes to capture the snake.

Mr Naewhaad, 40, first lured the snake out onto an open road and then proceeded to begin his attempt at catching it.

The video shared on Facebook displayed the king cobra resisting all attempts to be captured. At one point, the snake lunged forward with its jaw open, but Mr Naewhaad managed to move out of its way.

According to local reports, the snake catcher said that the king cobra was safely released in its natural habitat after being caught. He said that the snake had probably been looking for its mate, as another cobra had recently been killed by locals.

Mr Naewhaad cautioned others against trying to catch snakes, saying that his skills came with years of training. – ndtv.com