A Facebook video released recently shows a volunteer catching a huge king cobra with his bare hands.

The locals in the southern Thai province of Krabi informed authorities when they spotted the giant cobra slithering into a palm plantation. The snake was trying to hide itself in a septic tank.

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Sutee Naewhaad, a volunteer with the Ao Nang Subdistrict Administrative Organisation lured the snake out onto an open road. He then proceeded to begin his attempt at catching it, with his bare hands. The giant cobra reportedly measures 4.5 metres, around 14 feet and weighed over 10 kilograms. It took Mr.Naewhaad nearly 20 minutes to capture the snake. 

The forty year old volunteer shared the one minute video on Facebook and has surprised people with his fearlessness. In the clip, the king cobra can be seen resisting all his attempts to be captured. At one point, the snake lunged forward with its jaw open but Mr Naewhaad managed to move out of the way and avoid the attack.

The snake catcher informed the local reports that the giant snake was safely released in its natural habitat after being caught. He also told them that the snake had probably been looking for its mate, referring to another cobra which had recently been killed by the locals.

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Mr.Naewhaad cautioned others against making any attempt to catch snakes, reasoning that his skills have been a result of years of training and the task is more dangerous than it appears to be.

The king cobra is a venomous snake species which is endemic to parts of Southern and South-east Asia. It is the world’s longest venomous snake and its average length is between 10 to 13 feet. One of the largest king cobras on record which was 18 feet and 4 inches long was also previously captured in Thailand.