Staff at Stockholm’s Skansen zoo are searching for a 2.5-metre king cobra that escaped on Saturday, shortly after arriving here, an incident that prompted the closure of the reptile section, AFP reported, citing Agerpres.

The reptile, nicknamed “Sir Vaas,” who arrived at a Swedish zoo just days ago, escaped on Saturday after crawling through one of the lighting fixtures in his terrarium.

A video taken by a visitor who witnessed the incident shows the reptile, which the zoo staff renamed Houdini after the famous magician Harry Houdini, at the moment when its head was already inserted into the space between the stand and the bulb. ceiling lights rising from a branch in a terrarium.

The reptile section has been evacuated and will remain closed until the escaped animal is caught.

“He won’t go outside, theoretically it will be so cold outside that he will fall asleep,” said zoo director Jonas Wahlström.

To track them down, local workers sprinkled flour and set sticky traps.

The king cobra “Houdini” was able to escape thanks to energy conservation

The Swedish zoo’s terrarium has housed king cobras for almost 15 years, but it only took a few days for its new tenant to find a way to escape, Jonas Wahlström added.

“It’s a little trick,” he added.

“Houdini” would have an advantage over the former tenants: the Swedish staff recently replaced the lamps above the terrarium with energy-saving ones.

“The old lamps were too hot and that kept the snakes away,” explained Jonas Wahlström.

According to the Swedish official, king cobras are animals endowed with natural calmness and are unlikely to attack.

King cobra, the longest venomous snake in the world

Native to South and Southeast Asia, the king cobra 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.

Article photo source © Dvrcan | Dreamstime.com