Almost a week after the reptile’s spectacular escape from a Swedish zoo, a king cobra managed to escape again after staff discovered it inside a wall, authorities said on Friday, AFP reported.

The reptile, originally named ‘Sir Vaas’, escaped last Saturday after climbing through one of the lighting fixtures in his terrarium. Just a few days ago, she was brought to Skansen Zoo in Stockholm.

After his disappearance, the poisonous fugitive was nicknamed “Houdini”, a reference to the American illusionist Harry Houdini, who was famous for his amazing escapes.

The section dedicated to reptiles was closed after the animal escaped. To track down the reptile, zookeepers spread flour and set sticky traps. They were also equipped with special cameras provided by the customs for inspection of hard-to-reach places.

…and left again!

The search ended on Friday after the reptile was spotted in the wall. “Sir Vaas has been found…and is on his way again!” Swedish customs said in a statement posted on social media, without giving further details.

“Thanks to the methodical work of Sir Vaas, it was finally found in the inner wall near the terrarium,” reports the same source. “But on Friday, Sir Vaas managed to escape again,” the report said.

The zoo’s terrarium housed specimens of a king cobra for nearly 15 years, but it only took a few days for its new tenant to find a way out.

According to zoo officials, the Houdini got an advantage that other tenants didn’t: staff recently replaced the lamps above the terrarium with energy-saving bulbs that produce less heat. The latter was what kept the creeps at bay.

A native of South and Southeast Asia, the king cobra, which is usually placid and rarely prone to attack, is the longest venomous snake in the world.

Its main prey is other snakes, but its bite can be fatal to a person if help is not provided in time. (Source Agerpres)

Article photo source: DreamsTime.com