LOS ANGELES (FOX NEWS) -
An Albino cobra is slithering free in an upscale California suburb. are in a desperate search to find it before it bites someone.
The hooded viper (
elapids are not vipers poor fact checking) has already bitten a dog in the Thousand Oaks community. LA County Department of Animal Care a is warning people to keep their pets indoors and their doors closed until the snake is captured.
The monocled cobra is venomous that injects neurotoxin venom that can kill within hours.
"Do not approach it, do not try to capture it, do not try to kill it," said Brandon Dowling, a Los Angeles County spokesman, .....antivenom will be flown in from the San Diego Zoo.
The cobra was spotted and photographed Wednesday and appeared to be several feet long. ... . The dog bitten by the snake, named Kiko, was seen on television reports sporting a large red wound on its neck but otherwise appeared healthy.
Cobras are illegal as pets in California except for educational and scientific purposes, and a permit is required. The monocled cobra, common in Southeast Asia and parts of India and China.
The snake was most likely bred in captivity because its color would make easy prey to hawks.
Jay Brewer, who owns the Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley, said he didn't understand why someone would own the cobra or keep one in their home. Where they're permitted, cobras are typically kept in double-locked cages or in a highly-secured, specially outfitted room.
“I am very disturbed,” Brewer said. “I don't think there is anything positive about finding a monocled cobra.”
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The cobra is active during cooler morning and evening hours, but Dowling recommended keeping all doors closed to keep the snake from entering.
