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Owner Of Escaped King Cobra Receives Citation

Stock king cobra image courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife.
Stock king cobra image courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife.

The central Florida owner of an escaped king cobra has been cited for failing to immediately report the snake's disappearance.

Mike Kennedy faces a second-degree misdemeanor. He can pay a $366 fine or request a hearing.

Greg Workman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says Kennedy has been cooperative. Meanwhile the search continues.

"We're hoping that when he gets hungry he'll smell that food and go into one of those traps for his meal, and then we'll have him."

The traps are baited with the cobra's favorite food: dead snakes.

Wildlife authorities don't believe the 8-foot cobra has ventured far from his home near North Apopka Vineland Road.

Amy Green covered the environment for WMFE until 2023. Her work included the 2020 podcast DRAINED.