A rare golden cobra was caught after it tried to eat pet rabbits inside a family's garden.

Sriarn Khanthachan, 58, saw the snake coiled up near the hutch in Pathum Thani Province, central Thailand on September 2.

The man was startled but at the same time amazed with shiny golden colour of the snake that entered his property.

He said: "I have never seen the rare cobra like this before, its golden scales are stunning especiallty when it hit the sun."

Sriarn called the animal rescuers to catch the 5ft-long rare cobra, but he also informed them that the snake has an unusually golden colour which might mean that it is extra venomous.

The rescuers arrived who spent around 10 minutes luring the serpent out before they were able to catch it with a rod and place it in a sack.

One of the rescuers said: "I have never caught a beautiful and rare golden cobra before. This is my first case and it went well so I am glad."

The rare snake will be released later into the woods away from the village where it was caught.

A cobra is a type of poisonous snake with hollow fangs fixed to the top jaw at the front of the mouth. These snakes cannot hold their fangs down on prey so they inject venom through their fangs.