Owner apparently lied to FWC officers and doctored paperwork relating to the snake.
The Florida man whose monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia) escaped its enclosure last week but was recaptured within a day was given three citations by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in relation to the escape.
florida fish and wildlife conservation commission
This monocled cobra escaped its enclosure but was captured a day later.
Lewis Mark Pellicer, who holds a venomous reptile permit to keep the snake, apparently lied to an FWC officer who paid him a visit at his home. Pellicer apparently told the officer that all his reptiles were accounted and the monocled cobra he owned had died in September.
Pellicer admitted Nov. 7 that he lied to the officer and knew the snake had escaped. He also apparently told the FWC that investigated his case that “Pellicer indicated that he had doctored the records prior to our interview in an attempt to mislead us from the truth.”
The cobra is currently at a Fort Myers reptile store.
The monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia) is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It grows to about 4 to 5 feet in length and feed on small mammals and other snakes. The monocled cobra's venom is one of the fastest acting snake venoms in the world. Its venom, which has different potency depending on where the snake is found, can cause death within an hour of envenomation. The neurotoxins in its venom leads to drowsiness, neurological problems and muscle issues.
