Zoo Officials: Search for Missing Cobra Could Go on For Weeks

Salah Malkawi/Getty Images (file photo)(BRONX, N.Y.) -- Officials at New York's Bronx Zoo are still searching for the Egyptian cobra that went missing from its enclosure Friday.

Zoo officials say they are confident the snake is still in the Reptile House and have taken certain measures to track the its movement.  Now, they are just playing the waiting game.

“At this point, it’s just like fishing; you put the hook in the water and wait,” Jim Breheny, senior vice president for the Wildlife Conservation Society and Bronx Zoo director, said in a statement.  “Our best strategy is patience, allowing her time to come out of hiding.”

The zoo’s Reptile House has been closed off since the 20-inch-long, pencil-thin snake was discovered missing from an off-exhibit enclosure Friday.

Breheny said staff members are conducting sweeping searches on a daily basis, but that it could be days or weeks before the snake is found due to the complexity of holding areas in the Reptile House.

Meanwhile, the snake’s popularity is growing in the social media world.  A joke Twitter account has popped up bearing the username “Bronx Zoo’s Cobra,” and already has over 30,000 followers.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Egyptian Cobra Snake Goes Missing From Bronx Zoo

Salah Malkawi/Getty Images/File(NEW YORK) -- Officials at the Bronx Zoo in New York are frantically searching for one of their residents, a deadly Egyptian cobra snake, which has gone missing from the zoo.

Officials say the zoo’s Reptile House was closed Friday after staff realized that the 20-inch-long snake was missing from an off-exhibit enclosure. The zoo issued a statement saying that once it was discovered that the snake was missing, the building was immediately sealed off and workers took steps to try to locate the animal.

Officials say based on the natural history and behavior of snakes, the adolescent Egyptian cobra is likely to seek closed-in spaces, as snakes are not comfortable in open areas. The zoo’s staff say they are confident that the snake is contained in an isolated non-public area of the building, and workers will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of the public.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio