Owner faces criminal penalties.
By Raif Karerat
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A king cobra has been on the loose in Orlando, Florida, for two days after escaping from its owner, WESH reported Thursday.
The male cobra is green and yellow and about 8-feet long. The owner, Mike Kennedy, didn’t report the escape right away when it went missing on Tuesday, and could face criminal penalties as a result, according to Time magazine.
“It wasn’t deliberately let out from what we can see. Looks like it escaped its cage it was in,” said Capt. Chris Roszkowiak of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Kennedy is the star of the Discovery Channel reality show “Airplane Repo” and is a self-proclaimed exotic animal dealer. Officials released that Kennedy is a licensed and professional snake hunter.
Records show he owns Dragon Ranch, a non-profit animal sanctuary, that’s run out of his home, reported the Orlando Sentinel. The ranch’s website says Kennedy studied zoology at the University of Central Florida and also takes care of a cougar, leopard, and crocodiles, among other exotic animals.
In the wild, king cobras are found in parts of southeast Asia and can grow up to 18 feet long. They can raise up to one-third of their bodies straight off the ground and are considered among the most venomous in the world, according to National Geographic.
One bite contains enough venom to kill 20 people. Unfortunately for families in Kennedy’s immediate vicinity, officials believe the snake will stay close to home in a wooded area.
Several residents of the neighborhood are on edge, and related as much to WESH.
“I’m going to go load my guns. Well, they’re already loaded, but I’m going to have them ready for sure. I mean, that thing’s big enough to take you down for sure,” said James McLeod, who lives nearby.