One of the world's most venomous snakes has broken out of a brand new zoo enclosure in Sweden and is on the run only just days after it arrived, the Daily Star reports.
Skansen Zoo in Stockholm has been forced to close down some areas onsite after a deadly King Cobra known as Sir Hiss, fled from it's new home. He has now been missing for 48 hours.
The reptile which has now been renamed after famous magician, Houdini performed it's own great escape by climbing through a lamp fixture in it's container and swinging itself from the branch of a tree to freedom. It's suspected that the poisonous snake is likely to be concealing itself somewhere in the ceiling of the reptile enclosures which have been closed until the serpent is located.
Staff have tried a number of different strategies over the past two days to capture the slithery runaway resident including using flour to capture it's trails, stick traps and special hidden cameras but the reptile has not fallen for any of their tricks. The zoo's aquarium director Jonas Wahlström said: “He won't come out, in theory, it's so cold outside that he would fall asleep.
“He must be a smart guy. The old lamps were too hot, which kept the snakes away.
“The natural thing for such a snake, when it leaves a terrarium where it is 30 degrees, is to wait until it gets warmer. Then when it realizes that it won't get much warmer than this, it will move.
“All valves are sealed and there is no way to get out, and as soon as it sticks its nose out, it will realize that it is far too cold and that it does not want to be there.” Although the venom of a King Cobra is not as dangerous as other venomous snakes, it is thought that around two-tenths of a fluid ounce of its poison can kill around 20 people – or one huge elephant.
Once bitten, it can hit your respiratory area of the brain, and give you a heart attack within minutes.
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