WNCN reporter Judith Retana swears she made eye contact with an escaped venomous cobra on the porch of a home in Raleigh, N.C. on Wednesday.
Retana says she was out talking to neighbors about the missing snake when she spotted it just a few feet away from her.
“I swear I made eye contact with the snake,” Retana said.
The zebra cobra’s escape had prompted a warning from local police due to its dangerous behavior when cornered. According to station WJW:
Venom from the snake can cause swelling, difficulty opening your eyes, or breathing. It’ll be a painful and swollen bite. However, the zebra cobra snake doesn’t have to bite you to be dangerous. It spits venom from its mouth.
The snake was caught Wednesday after police say it escaped from its owner on Monday.
The station reports that Animal Control and Raleigh police trapped the snake using wooden boards with special glue on them, and then took the reptile to a secure facility.