GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (NewsNation Now) — Residents in the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie are on heightened alert after someone with a 6-foot-long venomous snake reported it missing.

“I’ve been scared of going outside so I’ve been looking through my ring camera to make sure if we see it we can call 911 or try to kill it,” said Jesus Rodriguez, 12, who lives nearby.

The snake, primarily found in the savannas of West Africa, has a bite that can be lethal to humans. The owner of the cobra was permitted to have it by the State of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

It’s not just children who are scared either.

“Oh my god, I mean a six-foot African cobra, it’s scary,” Rodolfo Baarceleau said. He lives in the house next to where the cobra escaped from. “I can’t take my granddaughters out.”

Randall Kennedy runs Dallas-Fort Worth Wildlife Control. He puts his odds at capturing the missing snake at 50/50.

“Keep your eye on it, we don’t want it lost again,” Kennedy recommends. “But stay at a safe distance and get us on the phone fast.”

Despite the owner’s permit, he could face charges if he was deemed to be negligent in its escape.