by DAVE » Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:41 pm
Fortunately cobras threaten more than they strike. Those snakes are probably being
raised for export. And some will end up in the U.S. There was a black market animal
importer renting a unit next to one I worked at for a while. He got caught and put
away for several years. But those of us who worked there quickly educated ourselves
on what animals were dangerous and how to deal with them. Some did get loose. We
had a banded crate, a Florida coral snake, an Australian brown snake, reticulated
python, and about 50 Asian bird spiders (tarantulas) in the shop. They would get
loose and come through the heating ducts shared by both units. Since then, customs
has stepped up border inspections, mostly due to the everglades being over run by
boas and pythons. But stuff still gets in.