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King Cobra Snake Found Under Dryer In Orlando After Being Missing For Over A Month

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 09:12 PST, Oct 8, 2015

A king cobra snake has been found after being missing for over a month in Orlando.

According to Fox News, a woman called the Orange County Animal Services on Wednesday after she heard a hissing sound while she was putting her clothes in the dryer.

“She didn’t know exactly what kind of snake it was,” said Billy Ledford, of Animal Control, adding that the snake put up a fight before being caught, showing his aggressive side. “All she knew was that it was a very large snake. It was hissing underneath the dryer.”

Valerie Kennedy, the wife of Airplane Repo star Mike Kennedy, said the eight-foot-long snake “was found last night at 11 p.m. The poor thing was in pretty bad shape. His eyes are fogged over. He hasn’t eaten a thing since he was captured.”

According to a previous report by the Inquisitr, the king cobra managed to escape from its habitat on Tuesday, September 1. Kennedy notified the commission a day after the snake’s disappearance, launching a 15-day search. Kennedy, who is licensed and bonded to care for exotic animals, was issued a $366 citation for “failure to immediately report the escape of a non-indigenous venomous reptile.”

“Of course my primary concern is that nobody gets hurt,” Kennedy said. “The chances of that animal hurting somebody are extremely remote. These woods are full of rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, coral snakes – he’s just another snake out there. He’s fast, agile, he sees you coming long before you ever see him and he’s out of your way – he just wants to stay hidden.”

Kennedy had returned from a two-day trip on September 1 when he noticed that a large limb had landed on the roof of his garage, leaving a hole which allowed water to seep in. The water caused damage to the king cobra’s habitat, giving it the opportunity to escape. Kennedy believes he was able to slither through a gap between its cage and some netting. The area was thoroughly searched in hopes of finding the missing snake, but the search was called off mid-September.

“Most likely nobody is going to see it,” Capt. Chris Roszkowiak, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, explained at the time. “We believe it’s going to stay on the property here, which is a heavily wooded area. But on the remote chance it does leave this area and if someone does see it, please call our number so we can try to recapture the snake. But please do not approach it, don’t corner it or let any animals at it.”

“We are no longer on foot patrol searching the inter woods,” Greg Workman, a commission spokesman, said, adding that the search wasn’t completely over, and that they had set bait traps with smaller snakes in them. “[We’re] still monitoring the traps.”

The king cobra, named Elvis, had been living at the Dragon Ranch Sanctuary with its owners until its escape. The snake managed to travel nearly a half a mile before it was finally found.

“We are so relieved,” Valerie said. “This has been so difficult to go through as a family, and it has really taken a toll.”

[Photo via Shutterstock]

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