RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Animal control caught a venom-spitting snake Wednesday night, more than two days after it escaped in a North Carolina neighborhood.
A reporter from NewsNation affiliate WNCN encountered the venomous zebra cobra snake on the porch of a northwest Raleigh neighborhood home after a report Monday by a 911 caller.
“I swear I made eye contact with the snake,” said reporter Judith Retana.
The snake was caught by authorities around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday.
Venom from the zebra cobra can cause swelling, difficulty opening your eyes, or breathing. It will be a painful and swollen bite. It can even result in death. However, the zebra cobra snake doesn’t have to bite you to be dangerous. It spits venom from its mouth.
Animal control officers at the scene were equipped with face shields and gloves.
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 around 5:10 p.m. Monday.
A 911 caller said Monday they believed the snake was 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.
Herpetologist Bryan Stuart with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences said the snake would have likely stayed within a half-mile of the home from which it escaped.
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.