NC Cobra update - latest!


Article #1:

May 23, 2008
N. Carolina cobra story has legs

AsianResponders from the Onslow County Animal Control, Onslow County
Emergency Medical Services and the Piney Green Volunteer Fire Department
were unsuccessful capturing what appears to be a monocled cobra in the
Stables of Horse Creek Farms subdivision. The Jacksonville Daily News
reports that a woman who called 911 after a snake charged her dog said
it had a hood with a round circle. And there's more. WINT-TV reports
that a flyer circulated to some residents indicated that two cobras may
have been intentionally dumped "by an animal rights group pushing for a
ban on exotic animals."

Posted at 10:44 AM | Permalink


Article #2:

Cobra eludes capture
Comments 7 | Recommend 2
May 23, 2008 - 12:37AM
AMANDA HICKEY
Daily News Staff

A wildlife rescue group and Animal Control officers were unsuccessful
Thursday in capturing what they believe to be a monocled cobra in the
Stables of Horse Creek Farms subdivision.

A woman living in a Winner's Circle townhouse made a 911 call about a
snake that came out from under porch and went toward her dog.

"The snake came up from under the porch and went toward her puppy," Jen
Grooms, founder and director of HERP Wildlife Rescue, said Thursday
night.

"She grabbed her puppy and then it charged her," said Jen Grooms,
director of HERP Wildlife Rescue, which responded to the scene along
with Onslow County Animal Control, Onslow County Emergency Medical
Services and the Piney Green Volunteer Fire Department.

Grooms, who said the snake went back under the porch after charging the
woman, identified the snake by peeking under the porch. When she
looked, the snake showed it's hood, which had a round circle on it - the
sign of a monocled cobra, which is indigenous to Southeast Asia.

With permission from the property manager, those on the scene dismantled
the front porch in an effort to capture the snake, said Animal Control
Director Dino Einsig. However, the snake was not there.

"We searched for the snake and turned up nothing, so we secured," Einsig
said, adding that the snake was last seen at about 3:30 p.m. Both Grooms
and Einsig believe the snake went into the woods.

"These are very fast and agile snakes, and somewhere in the ruckus it
got past us," Grooms said.

The woods, however, were searched.

"We did a thorough sweep and search ... but when an animal goes into
hiding, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack," Grooms said.

While it is uncertain where the snake came from, the resident who called
about the snake recalled receiving a flier about a missing cobra about a
week or two ago, Einsig said.

"She didn't think anything of it and threw it away," said Einsig, who
asked that if anyone else has a copy of the flier to call Onslow County
Animal Control at 910-455-0182.

Monocled cobras can grow to six and a half feet and are nocturnal,
according to the National Geographic Web site. They eat other snakes and
lizards, are venomous and not legal to own in Onslow County without a
license as well as state and federal permits, Einsig said.

If the snake's owner is determined, it is possible for them to be
charged, Grooms said. The owner could be charged with illegal possession
of a venomous snake, endangering the community or attempted murder
should the snake bite someone.

This is not the only call about a venomous snake Groom has received
lately. There were more than 15 snake calls in the last three days, she
said, and three of them were for venomous snakes. In one case, a German
shepherd on Dawson Cabin Road was bitten by a copperhead.

Grooms said people should not panic, but they should wear shoes when
going outside and keep an eye on children that are playing outside.

"Do the normal things responsible people do," she said.

Contact Jacksonville/Onslow County reporter Amanda Hickey
ahickey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx or 910-219-8463. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment
on this report.


Artikle #3

UPDATE: Deadly Snake Still Missing In Onslow County Save Email
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Posted: 5:41 PM May 22, 2008
Last Updated: 5:16 PM May 27, 2008

Deadly Snakes On The Loose
Deadly Snakes Still Missing


There has been no progress toward catching the deadly snake that's on
the loose in Onslow County.

A resident on Mill Farms Road, that's off Piney Green Road, saw a
Monocled Cobra under her back deck earlier this week.

Officials said they believed the snake was released by a group trying to
raise awareness in making it illegal for people to own exotic animals.

But the public relations director for the Animal Protection Institute
says her organization had nothing to do with the snake release.

Officials say they found a flyer indicating someone lost two cobras,
while Thursday night just one was spotted by the resident.

Officials warn these snakes can be deadly with one bite. They urge you
to stay away if you see these snakes and immediately call authorities.

Thursday's Story

Officials say the two Monocled Cobras on the loose in Onslow County may
have been dumped there by an animal rights group pushing for a ban on
exotic animals.

The two cobras are believed to be near Mill Farms Road off Piney Green
Road in Onslow County.

Officials say they found a flyer indicating someone lost the two cobras.
They believe the snakes were placed there by the group Animal Protection
Institute to raise awareness in making it illegal for people to own
exotic animals.

In an e-mail to WITN News, Animal Protection Institute public relations
director Zibby Wilder said her organization had nothing to do with the
snake release.

Wilder says this is yet another example of why North Carolina needs to
regulate ownership of dangerous wild animals. "Obviously this is a hoax
perpetrated by someone upset about pending legislation that we are
involved in," Wilder said in her e-mail to WITN.

Officials warn these snakes can be deadly with one bite. They urge you
to stay away if you see these snakes and immediately call authorities.

According to National Geographic, The most deadly serpent aboard
fictional Pacific Air Flight 121 is the Monocled cobra. Like many
venomous snakes, the cobra's poison affects its victim's central nervous
system. But Monocled cobra venom is so powerful that the victim's immune
system goes into hyperdrive and actually begins to break down organs and
muscles. Death is almost instantaneous.

The Monocled cobra is named for the conspicuous design on its hood that
can feature either one or two "eyes." The snake can grow up to 6.5 feet
long and hunts mostly at night.




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