Adhira: White Cobra Captured In Southern California Has A New Name


A white cobra that made national headlines as it roamed a southern California neighborhood in September has a new name, Adhira, which was chosen for the animal in an online poll.

The venomous cobra went on display at the San Diego Zoo on December 23, after a period of quarantine following its capture in the Thousand Oaks area, according to the Daily Mail. At four feet long, the snake is a 2-year-old female, and it still remains a mystery how the animal found its way to the region.

The name Adhira was chosen in an online poll, receiving 4,612 votes. Sapheda (white), Krima (cream), Cini (Sugar), Moti (pearl) and Sundara (beautiful) were all possible names selected by the cobra’s keepers, meant to reflect the snake’s native region, Southeast Asia. Adhira, a Hindi word, means lightning.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the cobra was transferred to the San Diego Zoo because it represents one of the few facilities in the U.S. that possesses the proper anti-venom for the snake. Though white cobras are naturally timid, they are extremely dangerous, with a venom that, if left untreated, can kill a human being. Monocled cobras are particularly hazardous because they repeatedly strike when excited, injecting more venom.

The white cobra caused a panic when it was sighted in the southern California neighborhood, attacking a local dog. As the Inquisitr previously reported, the canine recovered from the incident, and no one else was injured by the cobra before it was successfully captured by Animal Control officers. The cobra’s origin remains a mystery, though officials reached out to a company located near Thousand Oaks that specializes in exotic animal rentals.

Monocled cobras typically prey upon small rodents in their preferred habitat, along with other reptiles and amphibians. Famed for their hood, which sports markings that resemble eyes, the cobras often live in close proximity to villages and cities in Southeast Asia, a fact that accounts for the relatively large number of people bitten each year.

It is illegal to own certain exotic animals in California without a permit, a fact that has stymied investigators in their efforts to determine the origin of Thousand Oaks’ white cobra.

[Image: AP via the Daily Mail]

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