Rare White Cobra Slithers Onto Exhibit at the San Diego Zoo

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A venomous white monocled cobra that made headline news in early September, when it was reported loose in a semi-rural neighborhood in Thousand Oaks, moved into her new home at the San Diego Zoo’s Klauber-Shaw Reptile House. While the female snake appeared a bit shy initially, it didn’t take her long to explore the habitat filled with mulch, live plants and rock ledges, providing her places to hide.
The cobra is leucistic, meaning she is mostly white rather than the species’ usual brown and beige. Leucism is characterized by reduced pigmentation, unlike albinism, which features no pigmentation. Estimated to be around 2 years old and measures just over four feet long, the snake arrived at the San Diego Zoo on Sept. 5 and underwent a 90-day mandatory quarantine. Believed to possibly be a pet that got loose or was released, the animal eluded Los Angeles County Animal Control officers for four days before being caught and sent to the Los Angeles Zoo. The San Diego Zoo was asked to take the animal, as it was one of only two zoological facilities in the United States with the proper anti-venom for the species.
Monocled cobras, when threatened, raise their body, spread their impressive hood, usually hiss, and strike in an attempt to bite and defend themselves, injecting a powerful toxin that can be fatal. While not a threatened species, cobras are illegal to own in California without a permit.