North Raleigh venomous zebra cobra hunt is over after glue trap takes care of the problem
As a result of hours of consultation between law enforcement and animal control officers, a glue trap was finally able to capture the deadly snake on a north Raleigh porch on Wednesday night, capping a 48-hour case involving North Carolina media.
The glue was removed from the cobra's body after being guided into a red bucket and brought to a safe location.
As WRAL's cameras captured it earlier in the day, a striped snake slithered out of the siding of a house on Sandringham Drive and onto a porch. When it lifted its head to look around, the top of its hood was visible.
When Animal Control officers confirmed the snake was the one they moved camera crews back before they attempted to catch it.
911 call from that same house sparked the search at the beginning of Tuesday.
NEWS FROM THE AREA
A glue trap ends a day-long hunt in north Raleigh for a venomous snake
Venomous snake, Raleigh Cobra
I posted this at 7:21 a.m. EDT on July 1, 2021.
Posted at 10:00 a.m. EDT, July 13 2021
WRAL reporters Kasey Cunningham, Joe Fisher, and Matt Talhelm; multiplatform producers Heather Leah and Maggie Brown
The North Carolina capital is Raleigh. Despite hours of consultation and preparation of law enforcement and animal control officers, a zebra cobra was caught on a Raleigh porch on Wednesday night, capping an unusual 48-hour saga that garnered national attention.
brisbane snake catcher A red bucket was used to guide the cobra into a safe location so that the glue could be removed from its body completely.
An earlier video interview had captured a striped snake crawling onto a porch on Sandringham Drive from the siding of a house. When it lifted its head to look around, its hood was visible.
Officers from Animal Control moved the cameras back after confirming that it was the snake, trying to capture it before moving in.
A 911 call from the same location prompted the search early Tuesday morning.
T-shirt from House of Swank showing North Raleigh Spitting Cobras #RaleighCobra: T-shirts, memes and Twitter accounts dedicated to the roaming venomous snake.
Her neighbor Joan Nelson expressed relief at the end of the ordeal.
I feel much safer and I am really happy, she said. Getting outside on my deck or stepping out on my deck gives me a sense of freedom. The snake, though, must have felt bad.
Striped snake lying out on a porch on a north Raleigh street where a zebra cobra is missing.
Having a snake that can spit up to nine feet long can make even a morning dog walk a frightening experience. Consequently, the African Snakebite Institute says the snake is very dangerous. It is possible that the venom can damage a victim's nervous system.
Anyone exposed to the poison of the cobra would experience immediate pain, swelling, irritation, vomiting, and diarrhea. In the aftermath, a severe fever and breathing problems would ensue, which could eventually lead to respiratory failure.
At Avian and Exotic Animal Care, veterinarian Salina Locke treats all kinds of pets.
There is no evidence that this species of cobra bites. Generally, they squirt their venom a lot and shoot straight for the eyes, she said.
Despite the risks associated with this snake, Locke does not recommend it as a pet.
People tend to get bitten most often when they're sleeping. Bite victims could be plagued with health problems for years, studies show.
In the afternoon of Tuesday, police searched a home near the street where the cobra was last spotted, at 6917 Chamonix Place.
Four police officers visited the home in March to investigate an animal problem. Approximately half a mile away, they spotted the zebra cobra on a porch, prompting them to return on Monday and Tuesday.
There are records in the county indicating Keith and Rebecca Gifford live at that address. In a Facebook profile associated with Keith Gifford's name, there are several pictures of snakes he says his son Christopher owns.
Christopher Gifford has over 460000 followers on TikTok. His post claims he has a zebra cobra that is 7 feet long.
