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Posted: May 23, 2008

2 cobras loose in Onslow County

Snakes alive! Man says king cobra seen in Cumberland woods

Snakes alive! King cobra reported in Cumberland woods

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Jacksonville, N.C. — Two cobras might be on the loose in Onslow County, authorities said, adding that they believe the snakes might have been dumped by an animal rights group pushing for a ban on exotic animals.

Fliers have been posted in a neighborhood off Piney Green Road near Jacksonville that claim two cobras were lost.

Animal control and wildlife officers saw a snake under the deck of a woman who lives nearby, but they were unable to capture it after tearing the deck apart and searching the area for hours, authorities said.

Snake experts said they believe the serpent was a monocled cobra, which can be deadly with one bite.

In Cumberland County, a man said he recently spotted what a wildlife officer said could be a king cobra in the woods near Cedar Creek.

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29 Comments

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Latest Comments

time to be armed with garden utensils when you are out in the yard in all seriousness.

Travised
May 23, 2008 8:28 p.m.

Dumped by an 'Animal Rights Activist' What kind of activist are they if they are working for animal rights.

shine
May 23, 2008 8:24 p.m.

Grew up in Onslow County. Saw all four major types of snakes. Largest rattler I ever saw was killed by road/chain gang about 20 feet from where we had worked all day; it was over 8 feet and over 20 rattles. Only saw one coral snake in the wild.

The last thing Onslow County needs is more snakes!

Onslow also has gators, carnivorous plants, and vicious flies, ticks, and mosquitoes.

unc70
May 23, 2008 8:03 p.m.

BTW, The exotic pets ban attempts ARE funded by radical animal rights organizations. We've beaten them (here in NC) every time, so far, thanks to the North Carolina Association of Reptile Keepers (NCARK.org), who also encourages reptile keepers to be RESPONSIBLE owners & sellers (not releasing their animals into the wild, it's cruel to the animals (most would die during our winters), and not selling any of the "big 5 snakes" or crocodilians to folks who don't know what they're getting into).

(Sorry for the run-on-and-on-and-on sentence) ;)

SnakeLady
May 23, 2008 8:01 p.m.

Something to remember... if you're close enough to cut the head off of a dangerout snake (or a dangerous vampire cat, for that matter) ;) ... you're close enough to be bitten!!!

I've been bitten by a MILDLY venomous snake (yes, it was my fault. I was holding her, she was hungry, and I was surfing the web instead of paying attention to her body language... I learned the hard way... Luckily she's only a western hognose and their venom is very mild (but my finger did double in size for about a week).

I rescue snakes (volunteer svc only), however if I saw a cobra in the yard, even I, with my snake hooks and knowledge, would make a point to call in the professionals. If I couldn't, I would try to encourage it with a long handled broom to hide in a trashcan (turned on it's side)... FYI... they show how on snakegetters dot com.

Probably 50% of folks who are bitten by snakes were trying to pick it up... or to kill it.

Just something to think about! (Think LOGICALLY first!)

SnakeLady
May 23, 2008 7:46 p.m.

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