RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Animal control caught a venom-spitting snake Wednesday night, more than two days after it escaped in a northwest Raleigh neighborhood.
The venomous zebra cobra was reported by a 911 caller on Monday around 5 p.m. CBS 17’s Judith Retana encountered the snake on the porch of a home on Sandringham Drive.
WATCH: CBS 17 crew captures video of zebra cobra on Raleigh home’s porch
“I swear I made eye contact with the snake,” Retana said.
The snake was caught by authorities around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday.
A bite or venom from the zebra cobra can cause serious medical issues even death.
The 911 caller on Monday said they believe the snake is a python but they couldn’t locate it at the time of the call.
“It looks like it’s actually a python from Australia. We can’t locate it and we don’t know who to call to report an invasive species,” the caller said.
An animal control officer responded to the home after receiving a report regarding the snake, but the cobra was not found.
Raleigh police issued a statement 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 in the 700 block of Sandringham Drive.
Herpetologist Bryan Stuart with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences said the snake would likely stay within a half-mile of the home it escaped from. Stuart said it would unlikely be found, but, alas.
The zebra cobra snake is not native to North Carolina or even the United States. The only venomous snake native to Raleigh is the copperhead.
Venom from the snake can cause swelling, difficulty opening your eyes, or breathing. It’ll be a painful and swollen bite. However, the zebra cobra snake doesn’t have to bite you to be dangerous. It spits venom from its mouth.
