A crew member aboard the MV Maersk Sana found a stowaway Indian Cobra, 18-inches long, in one of the cargo holds of the ship that was bound for New Jersey from Singapore.
U.S. wildlife officials were notified of the unexpected passenger, and reptile experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society Bronx Zoo, known as herpetologists, were called to assist in the capture of the reptile, according to CNN.
The respondents were Kevin Torregosa and his partner. They were able to capture the cobra in the same area where the crew spotted the venomous cobra. It remains unclear how the snake got inside the container ship, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Indian cobra, commonly seen with charmers and known to be one of the four snake species that has inflicted the most snakebites on humans, has venom that taps into the synaptic gaps of the nerves that causes paralysis and in severe cases, cardiac arrest or respiratory failure, according to NBC Chicago.
The snake has been named Sana in honor of the cargo ship she was found in. Since no one can identify how it got onboard, Sana will be quarantined for 30 days at the Bronx Zoo. No word as to whether it will stay at the Bronx Zoo after the quarantine period..
