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Two years ago a deadly and terrifying Zebra Cobra got loose in Raleigh

Two years ago, an African zebra cobra on the loose put a northwest Raleigh, North Carolina neighborhood on edge. The deadly and venomous snake prompted days of panic.

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By
Ryan Bisesi
, WRAL multiplatform producer
RALEIGH, N.C. — Two years ago, a zebra cobra on the loose put a northwest Raleigh neighborhood on edge.

Did they find the zebra cobra in Raleigh?

The deadly snake's appearance on a porch prompted days of panic. Reporters staked out the neighborhood until the cobra was finally caught.

It turned out the snake had been missing for months, but the attention garnered by media coverage brought on a new urgency, especially when spooked neighbors in a community off Leesville Road learned the snake was among them. The matter was so urgent, Raleigh police issued a warning at 1:30 a.m. on June 29, 2021.

The cobra is not native to North Carolina. This species, from Africa, is known to spit harmful venom from several feet away, making routine outdoor activities like morning jogs and dog walks a little more unnerving.

African zebra cobra snake spotting prompted media frenzy

The cobra, for all the trouble it caused, did not injure anyone, but created a stir in the online world and enjoyed some viral fame for about a week. A Twitter account was made and T-shirts were sold to commemorate the cobra's celebrity status amid the hoopla. WRAL News even made a cartoon about the snake, "Venom goes viral."
Friday, July 2, 2021 -- Capitol Broadcasting Company's editorial cartoonist.

On WRAL.com, the story evolved over about 36 hours from when the snake was first spotted to when it was captured, driving millions of views.

It was one of the most-read stories of the year, and thousands of people watched the live stream as WRAL News cameras caught the snake emerging from under a house.
You can watch the full video here.

On June 30, WRAL News cameras captured a striped snake crawling out of the siding of a house on Sandringham Drive, onto the front porch of a home. Its hood was visible as it lifted its head to look around.

Animal Control officers moved camera crews back after confirming it was the snake. Then, they moved in to capture it using a glue trap.

The cobra was seen on the porch of the same house where it was first spotted earlier in the week – the home of the man who called 911 to report the snake.

Thousands in fines for owner of Raleigh zebra cobra

Multiple venomous reptiles were "safely secured" from a home on Chamonix Place, where owner Chris Gifford, well-known for showcasing the animals on TikTok, came under fire among exotic pet owners for his handling of the situation.
Through a plea deal, Gifford was ordered to turn over $35,000 worth of snakes and pay $13,162 in restitution for, among other things, the police and EMS response to the loose snake. The snakes were arranged to be used for cancer research and anti-venom development.

Gifford apologized for the first time after he was hit with more than 40 misdemeanor charges.

It also turns out, the owner of venomous zebra cobra is connected to previous snake bite story that WRAL News covered months before this incident.

Zebra cobra snake search leads to new limits on exotic animal ownership

As a result of the community-wide panic, the city of Raleigh instituted a new dangerous animal ordinance aimed at stopping ownership of animals like Gifford's.

The attention around the venomous snake put a spotlight on animal laws in the state and facilitated discussion on acceptable accommodations for exotic pets.

The Raleigh City Council spent months discussing exotic animal laws. North Carolina is one of the few states that has no ban on exotic animals.

The council eventually passed the Dangerous Wild Animal Ordinance. The ordinance bans residents of the city from owning lions, tigers, wolves, monkeys, hybrids or crossbreeds, and medically significant venomous snakes like the zebra cobra.

The ban took effect on Sept. 3, 2022.

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