Seems like a sensible animal to be selling as a pet. What could go wrong?
Oh, wait.
Venomous, not poisonous.
Keep Austin Venomous
Oh great, another snake control thread! *Jon Snow Slurping*
What will get it first - Hawks or Cars?
Just in case, I’m not eating one.
Came for the video, left disappointed
The article doesn’t say the cobra was for sale as a pet. Just that a pet store employee (also son of the pet store’s owner) was found dead and a cobra bite is suspected. He was found dead in a Lowe’s Home Improvement parking lot an hour’s drive from the location of the pet store.
My read of the story is that the kid may have had a side business selling illegal animals. If I had to place a wager, I’d bet that he was meeting someone in the Lowe’s parking lot to sell the cobra, the cobra bit him, and the buyer took off. But other interpretations are possible. The article certainly isn’t very well written–it doesn’t even say why they suspect that specific species of snake.
Take this as a cautionary tale. As per Wikipedia:
Drowsiness, neurological and neuromuscular symptoms will usually manifest earliest; hypotension, flushing of the face, warm skin, and pain around bite site typically manifest within one to four hours following the bite; paralysis, ventilatory failure or death could ensue rapidly, possibly as early as 60 minutes in very severe cases of envenomation [for this breed of snake].
If you’re ever bitten by a snake that you think might be venomous, get to a hospital IMMEDIATELY. The vast majority of snakes don’t have enough of a punch to kill or disable a healthy adult person before you can get to medical help. The doctors don’t necessarily even need to know the kind of snake it is - the symptoms will make it clear the kind of antivenom/first aid that they need to administer.
Snake bites shouldn’t be lethal when you’re within range of help.
Do not taunt the happy fun snake.
Anyone remember the Black Mamba of Palo Alto, circa 1993? Escaped venomous snake, numerous sightings over a couple weeks, city in panic…
Has the snake been charged with murder?
I’m not gonna lie - I was expecting something a bit more exciting. It didn’t kill either of those guys, like any proper badass snake would have.
And yes, I too was wondering why the pet store was even selling this type of snake, based on the headline. The article clears that up, though.
As an Austinite, all I can say is with a cobra on the loose, maybe people will stop moving here.
Also, I agree with animal control. Looking for the thing would be ridiculous, though they will give it a try Friday morning near where they think it got loose. And it’s not like we don’t already have several other types of venomous snakes slithering around. Water moccasins live in the creek two blocks from my house, and I live in central Austin.
Posthumous Darwin Award winner.
All Darwin Awards are given posthumously.
Almost all. If you render yourself infertile in “that mishap”, but live on, you still can win one.
Read Stolen World if you are interested in this snake stuff.
