

The missing Bronx Zoo cobra has been recaptured. Photo by Julie Larsen Maher of WCS.

The missing Bronx Zoo cobra that became a pop culture sensation and caused consternation among some New York residents whas been found after a thorough search of the zoo’s Reptile House.

The escaped serpent was found in a non-public, off-exhibit area in the Reptile House, which will reopen soon, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which runs the zoo.

The Egyptian cobra was said to be in good condition, but it will be placed under observation and evaluated.

“As you can imagine, we are delighted to report that the snake has been found alive and well,” said Jim Breheny, WCS Senior Vice President of Living Institutions and Director of the Bronx Zoo. “I really want to thank our staff for their determination and professionalism as we conducted the methodical search. We appreciated the public’s support throughout the past week and we thank the media for helping keep the public informed.”

“The key strategy here was patience.”

The missing snake was found after searches of the Reptile House, which was under lock-down since its escape last Friday. The cobra’s recapture was made difficult by its size and the abundance of hiding places in the facility.

“The difficulty was that the small snake, which is months old and weighs about 3 ounces, had sought out a secure hiding spot within the holding areas of the Reptile House – an extremely complex environment with pumps, motors, and other mechanical systems,” said WCS in a statement.

The missing snake became somewhat of a celebrity while it was on the run. A twitter account (@bronxzooscobra) purportedly providing updates on the snake’s whereabouts by the cobra itself acquired more than 180,000 followers as of this morning.

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