Snake catcher grabs deadly king cobra by the neck as it rears up to strike

A brave Malaysian man has used nothing but courage and a gloved hand to catch a 2m king cobra, but an Australian snake catcher says it might not be so easy if he was tussling with an Eastern brown.

Footage of the impressive catch shows a civil defence worker square off with the venomous snake as it rears up menacingly, only for the worker to grasp it nonchalantly on the neck behind its head.

According to Sydney snake catcher Rob Ambrose the technique in the video is one that can backfire and when it does, it will have dire consequences.

“If you tried that with a more agile species, like some Australian species, it might not go so well for you,” Mr Ambrose told ninemsn.

“It’s psychological, people think he’s got it by the neck so it can’t bite you but it makes the animal quite angry and your hands are quite close to the bit that is dangerous.
“It is really, really bad if it goes wrong.”

Mr Ambrose said grabbing a snake behind its head is normal practice in some Australian states, but the catcher will first pin the reptile down with an implement before reaching in by hand.

The professional snake catcher of six-years said using your bare hands to grab a king cobra’s head was something basically only seen in south-east Asia, where showmen give demonstrations alongside the large and slower snakes.