A venomous albino cobra on the loose for days in Thousand Oaks was caught Thursday afternoon when it made an unexpected appearance in a suburban neighborhood.

The albino monocled cobra -- which can grow up to 7 feet long as an adult and has venom that can kill a human within an hour -- was captured around 3:15 p.m. after being spotted slithering along a fence, said Janice Mackey, spokeswoman for California Fish & Wildlife.

It marked the first time the cobra had been seen since Monday, when it was spotted in the 1300 block of Rancho Lane -- not far from where it turned up Thursday.

Animal control officers went into a backyard of a home in the 300 block of Rancho Road and spotted the snake near a fence after moving some debris, said Brandon Dowling, a Los Angeles County spokesman.


Animal Care and Control Lt. Fred Agoopi captured the snake using a metal pole and put it inside a wooden crate.

“The snake was agitated obviously, because they were trying to move it,” Dowling said. “No one was injured though.”

Tanya Gray was driving when she saw the cobra and called authorities. She pulled over and tried to keep track of it.

“I went into action so I could keep track of it, so I could tell people where it was,” Gray said.


The albino cobra was being held at the Los Angeles Department of Animal Care & Control shelter in Agoura Hills, Dowling, the county spokesman said. The snake will be housed there until the Los Angeles City Zoo can pick it up and evaluate it.

It’s unclear if the pale-colored, hooded snake bit a dog Monday before disappearing, Dowling said. The dog’s owners were able to take a photo of the snake before it slipped away.

“I can confirm that the dog had an injury to its neck, but it was not necessarily a snake bite,” Dowling said.

The dog was treated and said to be in good health.


Authorities said the cobra’s owner has not come forward.