Antivenin, especially for exotic snake species, is expensive, can be difficult to locate, and may have to be flown in from another state. The cobra was on the loose for five weeks before being discovered by a woman who heard hissing from under the washing machine in her garage.Īll too often, taxpayer-funded zoos absorb the costs of supplying antivenin when a private owner gets bitten. The school canceled all outdoor activities and parents were asked to accompany students who walked or biked to school. Four officers were stationed at the perimeter of the property to watch for the snake and other officers searched a nearby elementary school. When a 10-foot King Cobra escaped from a home near Orlando, snake handlers and wildlife officers searched the home and wooded 10-acre property and set traps. In addition, taxpayers routinely foot the bill for costs related to escapes, attacks, and confiscations, since police, animal control, and other emergency personnel must respond to these incidents. Families, children and pets are endangered when snakes escape into neighborhoods, and public safety workers risk injury or even death while searching for dangerous reptiles at large. Too many Florida communities have had to deal with escaped snakes. While some caging may be more secure and structurally sound than others, there is no such thing as an escape-proof cage or a zero percent chance of human error. Snakes can attack in the blink of an eye.
Venomous snakes are not suitable as pets and individuals who harbor venomous reptiles such as cobras, vipers, or mambas pose special dangers to emergency responders and the community. Coincidentally, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is scheduled to consider tightening the rules regarding possession of venomous snakes at its Sept. Although many states ban private ownership of venomous snakes, Florida does not. News that yet another venomous snake escaped from a Florida home - this time a cobra in Homestead - should concern all Floridians.