A potentially deadly albino cobra has been reported to be on the loose in an upscale southern California suburb after it attacked a dog Monday night, Fox News reported. Now, authorities are in a desperate search to find it before it bites someone else.
The venomous snake, an albino monocled cobra, is currently being hunted down in the Thousand Oaks community by the Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control, which handles animal emergencies in nearby Ventura County and has warned people to keep their pets indoors and their doors closed until the snake is captured.
While monocled cobras are illegal as pets in California except for educational and scientific purposes, they are known to be common throughout parts of Asia. Not known to be typically aggressive, they can be quick to strike and inject neurotoxin venom that can kill within hours, snake experts said.
"This is a venomous and very dangerous animal that the public should not approach for any reason," a Los Angeles County official told ABC News.
"Do not approach it, do not try to capture it, do not try to kill it," said Brandon Dowling, a Los Angeles County spokesman, adding that if the snake does bite someone, antivenom will be flown in from the San Diego Zoo.
After the cobra reportedly bit a dog, named Kiko, and sent him to the hospital in critical condition Monday evening, officials were notified about the snake on Tuesday evening and spotted and photographed it again on Wednesday.
However, authorities could not confirm how long the snake, possibly an escaped illegal pet, had been out or where it came from. Experts said it would be most active during morning or evening hours when it's cooler, and is likely hiding under a pile of junk or under vegetation -- anywhere where it's dark -- and will probably be backed up against something, officials said.
For now, the search team is focusing on the vicinity of the dog attack, which occurred on 1300 block of Rancho Lane, ABC's Los Angeles station KABC reported.
"They never chill out. They never relax," according to the website Thailand Snakes. "They are always ready to serve up a plate of death for you -- if you're dumb enough to get too close."
Meanwhile, officials have had no calls from residents of possible snake sightings since it was first reported missing, Dowling said.
