Killer Snake on the Loose

TeeRoy's 2 Cents:

• Why is there even such a thing as a venomous reptile permit?
• Owning a snake is one thing, but one that could kill you? That's crazy.
• Neighbors say they knew Purdy had unusual animals but were shocked to learn that he had a killer snake.

Nothing makes your neighbors more nervous than when you tell them your pet cobra has gotten loose from its enclosure.

A Florida neighborhood is on high alert after Brian Purdy reported that his two-foot venomous cobra had escaped. Purdy holds a venomous reptile permit, so he's allowed to keep it as a pet as long as it is in a room it can't escape from. But Purdy's friend, who's trying to obtain his own venomous reptile permit, was watching it and somehow let it get out of its enclosure. 

The Florida Wildlife Commission is leading the search effort to find the snake. Its whereabouts are still unknown and it's possible it is still inside the house. Another theory is that the owner has other pet reptiles and one of them may have eaten the cobra. Either way, until they find some evidence of the snake, neighbors will be on a heightened state of alert. (Ocala Star Banner)