The search for an 8-foot long King Cobra that had a town in Orlando on edge has been called off after 15 days, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officials stated.
The venomous snake was reported missing by it's owner, Mike Kennedy, on Sept. 2 after he came home from a trip the previous day and discovered that a branch had struck the roof of his garage, where the snake was held, at some point while he was away, according to Business Insider.
Even though Kennedy, who is a personality on the Discovery Channel, is an experienced animal handler and possesses a permit to handle such snakes, he was fined $366 for failure to immediately report the escape of a non-indigenous venomous reptile.
Upon being notified of the escaped reptile, more than a dozen Wildlife officials searched the area surrounding Dragon Ranch, where Kennedy lives, as well as other nearby areas, reported the Examiner. They even set up traps for the snake that featured his favorite food - smaller snakes.
When the news became public, the locals became worried and nearby schools suspended outdoor activities until the venomous reptile was caught. However, after 15 days, with the town still on edge, the search was called off.
"We are no longer on foot patrol searching the inter woods," a commission spokesman, Greg Workman, told Newsweek, but he clarified that the search is not completely over since they're still monitoring the traps.
In light of the news, schools have restarted outdoor activities but are still being cautious. A single bite contains venom powerful enough to kill an elephant or 20 men, so children are particularly at risk.
While officials mentioned that the snake may be dead, they expressed concern about the snake's affect on the ecosystem. They note that the snake may become invasive, either causing harm to other animals who are ill-equipped to handle a king cobra, breed with another snake in the area and rapidly multiply, or both.
