Cunning king cobra escapes out ceiling and continues to elude capture, Swedish zoo says
A snake in Sweden earned a new name after making a dramatic escape and evading zoo staff ever since.
The king cobra arrived at the Skansen Aquarium in Stockholm last week with the name Sir Vass, or Sir Hiss, AFP reported. As the curious snake explored its new surroundings, it discovered an escape route.
The ceiling of the cobra enclosure used to have a heat lamp, Skansen Aquarium said in an Oct. 25 news release. The heat of the light bulb kept the previous snake away, zoo staff explained. However, the heat lamp was replaced with a much-cooler LED light bulb a few years back. The previous snake occupant still avoided the light.
The curious new snake slithered up some taller brush and discovered the light bulb was not very hot – and could be pushed out of the way, the zoo said.
A visitor filmed the snake squeezing itself out the ceiling, video shared by Sharjah24 News shows. The 8-foot-long snake disappeared, Swedish newspapers Dagens Nyheter and Aftonbladet reported.
AFP reported that, in the video, someone can be heard asking, “is it safe to be here?”
“No, but we’re working on it,” a zookeeper replies, according to AFP.
The snake escape artist – earning itself the new name Houdini – disappeared into the surrounding building on Saturday, Oct. 22, the zoo said. Staff set off the fire alarm and evacuated the zoo.
Three days later, Houdini is still missing, Skansen Aquarium said in its Oct. 25 news release. Zoo staff have tried using flour to track the snake’s movements, sticky traps to catch it, and special cameras to see into smaller nooks and crannies, AFP reported.
The zoo believes the snake is still hiding in the building that contained its enclosure, saying that the tropical snake would be deterred from going into the cold outside.
In a news release, the zoo took full responsibility for the snake’s escape and told Dagens Nyheter that it had made a clear mistake. The zoo is open but select areas near the snake exhibit are still closed.
King cobras are the world’s largest venomous snake, according to the zoo’s website. They see humans as a danger but tend to keep their distance. Their venom can be fatal to humans if not treated immediately, according to the University of California San Diego.
Google Translate was used to translate stories from Dagens Nyheter and Aftonbladet and the Skansen Aquarium’s website. Google Translate and Facebook Translate were used to translate news releases from the Skansen Aquarium.
This story was originally published October 25, 2022 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Cunning king cobra escapes out ceiling and continues to elude capture, Swedish zoo says."
