It's not your everyday missing pet call. Grand Prairie Police say a homeowner reported his pet West African Banded Cobra had gotten out of the cage in his house.
"We know it escaped its enclosure. It could be in be residence, it could be outside the residence. But we're hoping it's still inside the home, hunkered down." said Grand Prairie Police Officer Mark Beseda.
The house is in the 1800 block of Cherry Street.
While the snake is venomous it likely will go the other way if it senses people are around.
"They have a neurotoxic venom. It's not a joke by any means," said Nathan Hawkins, owner of Big Country Snake Removal. "The chances of you getting bit are slim to none. You probably have a better chance of choking on a marshmallow than getting bit by a snake, especially a cobra. You kind of have to be, kind of an idiot, to get bit by one."
For their part, Grand Prairie police are more comfortable with burglars and thieves than they are West African Banded Cobras.
"Our police officers are experts in locating snakes. So what we did, is we actually called in an expert who is a venomous snake professional. He apprehends these snakes for a living." Beseda said.
The overnight search did not yield a snake.
Both Hawkins and Beseda say the general public should not try to catch the cobra, rather they should call for an expert who has the appropriate tools to grab the snake and store it.
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