COPENHAGEN, Denmark (HPD) — A venomous cobra that escaped from its cage at a Swedish zoo six days ago has been spotted inside its terrarium building but has not yet been recaptured, park authorities said Friday.
The snake, whose bite can be deadly, escaped on Saturday through a light fixture in the ceiling of its glass cage at the Skansen Aquarium, part of the zoo on Stockholm’s Djugarden Island. The building was evacuated, but the rest of the zoo remained open after it was determined that there was no danger to the public or employees.
The park said it spotted the reptile overnight in an enclosed space near its terrarium and that staff were recapturing it.
Had it left the building, the snake would not have survived in the cold, the park said.
The viper is called Sir Vass (something like Sir Hiss), but since his escape he has been nicknamed Houdini, after the wizard that no cage could contain.
The king cobra reaches 5.5 meters and lives mainly in India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
The zoo is home to some 200 exotic species such as fish, corals, crocodiles, turtles, lizards, snakes, naked mole rats, spiders and parrots.