Posted on 09/04/2014 7:02:18 AM PDT by Pelham
The search for a rare white snake slithering through Thousand Oaks continued Wednesday, two days after the venomous and potentially lethal reptile bit a dog.
Animal control officers spent the morning and late afternoon hunting for the monocled albino cobra, which was last seen in a yard in the 1300 block of Rancho Lane in the southern Ventura County suburb.
“It’s a little unnerving,” said Thousand Oaks resident Arianne Deeder, 39, who lives in the neighborhood. “I’m keeping an eye out.”
Deeder has chickens in a back yard coup and fish in a pond, along with a dog and a cat. She said she kept the animals safe by locking the coup, putting a fence over the pond and keeping her dog and cat indoors.
On Wednesday evening, seven animal control officers were walking through the neighborhood, searching horse stalls and yards for the elusive white snake.
An animal control officer said authorities believe the cobra was likely smuggled into the country and belongs to a resident of the street who has been known to keep exotic animals, like snakes, birds and turtles, in a rented house. The man was not at his home, they said.
News of the cobra quickly circulated on social media and was trending on Twitter, spawning parody accounts like @albinomonocledcobra and @toakscobra.
Ian Recchio, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Los Angeles Zoo, said that although monocled cobras possess toxic venom, and their bites are potentially fatal, the snake would likely try to stay hidden.
“They are shy like most cobras,” Recchio said. “Their first line of defense is trying to crawl away.”
It will spread its hood in a defensive position if provoked, Recchio said. The reptiles feed on small rodents, fish and other snakes.
Still, authorities warned residents that monocled cobras will
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That was hilarious! Thanks!
A real chicken coup!
Has anyone checked the suspected owners home. The snake may have bitten him and he may be very ill or dead. My nephew had a mountain cobra that bit him and he was able to call 911 before he passed out. The EMT’s got him to a hospital and saved his life. His snake was illegal too. He was feeding the darn thing when it bit him. Why he chose to own it was beyond me. The authorities took it to a zoo.
You gave the coup de grâce to the editors with that explanation.
The extreme snake-proofing of my House began in earnest last night.
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