A man has married his pet snake because he believes his dead girlfriend came back to life as the cobra. The snake was spotted by the man in South East Asia, who said it bore a ‘striking resemblance’ to his former lover.

He and the 10ft serpent now spend every day together watching TV, sharing romantic picnics by the lake, playing board games and going to the gym as a couple.

The man is understood to have taken the Buddhist theory that people are reincarnated as animals. He lost his girlfriend five years ago, but photos have shown he and his new wife are very happy together.