Cobra snake escape florida6/7/2023 ![]() Children at Clarcona Elementary School had been playing indoors during recess while the search was ongoing for fear one of the 1,007 students who attend the school might encounter the cobra. With the search slowing down, elementary school officials have reopened the outdoor playground for recess. "We are no longer on foot patrol searching the inter woods," a commission spokesman, Greg Workman, told Newsweek, but he clarified the search is not completely over: " still monitoring the traps." Parents were understandably concerned about the loose cobra. More than a dozen officials patrolled the area, an effort that included checking up on a nearby elementary school. Wildlife officials diligently searched Kennedy's property and the surrounding areas, and they set up series of traps baited with the cobra's favorite food: smaller snakes. The cobra is believed to have escaped through a gap between its cage and some netting. The hole in the roof allowed water to seep in, damaging the snake's habitat. Kennedy returned from a two-day trip on September 1 and discovered that a tree branch had struck the roof of his garage, where the snake was held, while he was away. He had proper permits to own the snake but was issued a $366 citation for "failure to immediately report the escape of a non-indigenous venomous reptile." The venomous snake was reported missing on September 2 it may have escaped in late August.įlorida Fish and Wildlife Commission officials were notified of the cobra's escape by Mike Kennedy, its owner, a day after the reality television show host realized it had escaped. “In my opinion, the only people that have anything to worry about are the people trying to contain the animal.The active search for an escaped king cobra in Orlando, Florida, has come to an end after 15 days. “Unfortunately we live in a fear-based society,” he said. Graziani said the cobra is a dangerous animal, but misunderstood. Because it was bred in captivity, the snake doesn’t know how to hunt for itself, he said. Graziani didn’t believe the snake would survive on its own if it wasn’t found. “It’s extremely rare,” he said of the search for a cobra.Ī king cobra went missing near Orlando in September and eluded capture for more than a month. Greg Graziani, of Graziani Reptiles, has worked with the FWC since 2007 to help control the Burmese python population. The snake will be held at a licensed facility until the investigation is completed, Spoede said. ![]() They captured the snake before it got away. "As soon as our guys showed up, it took off into the woods." "It was curled up right next to the guy's house," Spoede said. The group stopped searching for a while, but remained nearby in hopes another reported sighting would come. They urged them to call the FWC if they saw something, Spoede said. “Snake release calls happen from time to time,” Spoede said.įWC officers knocked on doors and spoke to neighbors alerting them about the possibility the snake was in their midst. Spoede said he was unsure how many reptiles Pellicer owned, but he counted more than five in one picture that was shown to him. Charges are pending, he said.Ī woman who answered the door at Pellicer’s home declined to comment. Spoede said Pellicer violated the rules by not reporting the snake was gone. None of the other remaining reptiles in his inventory went missing, the FWC reported. ![]() The snake belongs to Lewis Mark Pellicer, the closest venomous reptile permit holder to where the snake was spotted. Spoede said Pellicer was interviewed about the snake and said his Asian monocled cobra was missing. “You’re looking for ways they would eat,” Spoede said. They checked underneath a boat, inside of a shed and culverts along side of the road. On Saturday, a group of wildlife officials and volunteers concentrated in the brush next to a home where the owner keeps bird feed. “You try to find a snake in something like that,” Spoede said, signaling the woods behind him, “It’s almost impossible.” On Friday and most of Saturday afternoon, the FWC and volunteers scoured the brush that lines the street where it was seen, capturing it at 4 p.m., 200 yards west from where it was initially reported. The 5-foot cobra was first seen on Friday by a man in a van, who called 911 around 2 p.m. It took little more than 24 hours to capture Buckingham’s missing snake, a feat that surprised Officer Stuart Spoede of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Watch Video: This is how trappers corral venomous snakesīUCKINGHAM, Fla.
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