https://www.cbsnews.com
Venomous spitting cobra on the loose in Raleigh, North Carolina neighborhood
A highly venomous pet snake has escaped and remains on the loose in Raleigh, North Carolina, police said early Tuesday. CBS affiliate WNCN reports that police sent an alert at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday warning that a zebra cobra, which is known to spit venom, was spotted on the porch of a home at around 5:10 p.m. Monday.
An animal control officer responded to the home, but the cobra apparently had slithered away. Authorities say the zebra cobra belongs to a resident of the neighborhood.
According to the African Snakebite Institute, spitting cobras can "bite people and prey, and venom is easily injected." The nocturnal snakes found in Namibia and Angola are black to brown with light cross bars, and average 4 feet in length.
Under North Carolina state law, it is "unlawful for any person to own, possess, use, transport, or traffic in any venomous reptile that is not housed in a sturdy and secure enclosure."