Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials spent hours scouring through brush in Buckingham, Florida, after a driver found the 5-foot long creature slithering along a main road.
If you’re familiar with the area, the man spotted the snake on Stratton road Friday afternoon. The News-Press reports he alerted authorities, causing FWC and some volunteers to spend the next day tracking it down.
The Asian monocled cobra was finally apprehended around 4 p.m. on Saturday, about 200 yards west of the initial sighting.
FWC searched high and low, checking under a boat and inside a shed, along with some potential hiding spots on the road.
The snake reportedly belongs to Lewis Mark Pellicer, who is a Venomous Reptile Permit holder; Pellicer is actually the closet permit holder living near the capture location.
Charges are pending against the owner because FWC claims he failed to report the snake missing, instead waiting for officials to reach out and speak with him.
How many animals Pellicer owns is unclear, but a recent photo shows at least five reptiles at his residence.
Previously, FWC officials had gone door to door alerting residents and advising them not to approach or try to capture the cobra if they spotted it.
Pellicer will not be getting his cobra back right away; it will remain at a licensed facility until an FWC investigation is completed.
A king cobra went missing in Orlando back in September, but it took a month to track it down. The 8-foot long beast was eventually found in a woman’s garage.