A zebra snake is on the loose in one North Carolina suburb, prompting concern and worry from experts.
What is happening with the snake in North Carolina?
USA Today reports that a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, is on high alert after one resident’s zebra cobra snake escaped captivity. The snake is now on the loose in the neighborhood.
Raleigh Police Department alerted residents about the snake because it showed up on someone’s doorstep, per ABC 11.
- “That’s so scary and dangerous; it makes me feel like we need to take care of this situation and not let it happen again,” resident Vince Toscano told ABC-11.
What is the zebra cobra snake?
Per the African Snake Bite Institute, the zebra cobra snake comes from Africa and is normally pretty shy. That is unless it’s cornered.
- The snake can spit a dangerous venom that can cause tissue damage and kill people.
Greg Lewbart, a North Carolina state professor of aquatic, wildlife and zoological medicine, told ABC 11 that the snake is really dangerous since it “can cause blindness, tissue damage and even death.”
- “You’re dealing with something that’s pretty unusual and actually scary,” Lewbart said.
Why are people concerned?
Fatality is a big concern with this snake. But residents of the neighborhood told WRAL-TV that they worried for their children and pets.
- “It is pretty alarming,” Mark Pavlic, a resident of the area, told WRAL. “It seems like a pretty dangerous snake, and dogs like to sniff in the grass and check things out. It’s an extreme worry.”