What to Know
- The Bronx Zoo is looking for a 3 1/2-foot "mildly venomous" snake that escaped from its enclosure this week
- While poisonous, mangrove snakes are not known to be dangerous to people, a spokesperson said
- The snakes are thin and black with yellow rings; a bite can cause severe swelling, but there are no reports of human fatalities from one
The Bronx Zoo is looking for a "mildly venomous" snake that escaped from its enclosure this week.
The zoo told News 4 Thursday it began notifying guests entering the JungleWorld exhibit a day earlier about the missing 3 1/2-foot-long mangrove snake, which vanished from its exhibit Tuesday.
"While we are confident the snake poses no threat to visitors, we placed a sign at the entrance of the exhibit out of an abundance of caution," the zoo said in a statement.
While poisonous, mangrove snakes are not known to be dangerous to people, a spokesperson said, adding, "They are shy, timid, secretive in nature and active at night. We have every reason to believe the snake is in JungleWorld."
The snakes are thin and black with yellow rings. A bite can cause severe swelling, but the reptiles have never been known to kill a human. Mangrove snakes are mostly nocturnal.
In the meantime, if you see it -- the zoo would like to know.
