A king cobra returned to its protected enclosure at a Swedish zoo on Sunday after evading capture for several days, authorities said, a week after its spectacular escape.

“It was a great success,” announced Skansen Aquarium, which had to close its reptile department until the fugitive was caught.

The snake named “Sir Vas” escaped from the terrarium on Saturday, October 22, just a few days after arriving at the zoo.

The zoo, which has housed king cobras for nearly 15 years, recently replaced the old ones with energy-saving lamps that were much hotter and kept the reptiles away, according to the zoo’s management. In this way, the reptile managed to get out of the terrarium unnoticed.

Then “Sir Vas” thwarted attempts to return it, earning the nickname “Houdini” in honor of the legendary illusionist.

Zoo workers tried all sorts of tricks to catch the reptile

To track them down, staff spread flour in the reptile department and set sticky traps, but to no avail. Then special cameras and portable x-ray machines borrowed from the Swedish customs service were installed in the zoo.

On Friday, the reptile’s escape appeared to be over when it was spotted in an interior wall.

“However, the intelligent Houdini changed his position several times as we opened several holes to catch him,” the zoo said. At one point, the snake even allowed itself to poke its head out of the hatch.

The king cobra “Houdini” returned to the terrarium alone

On Saturday night, the cobra seems to have decided to give up its fugitive life.

“He gave up and crawled back to his safe and warm home,” zoo officials said.

The reptile section has reopened to the public, but Houdini has been placed under “house arrest” for observation and visitors will not be able to see him until Monday.

Native to South and Southeast Asia, the king cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world and is naturally calm and unlikely to attack.

Its main prey is other snakes, but its bite can be fatal to humans if left untreated.