Exotic Incident #2612

Incident Date:
12/01/1996
Location:
Denver, CO - USA
Facility Name:
Denver Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Animal Death (AD)
Species:
Reptiles
Animal:
King cobra
Animal disposition:
Dead

Summary:

A 8-foot-2-inch-long venomous king cobra escaped its habitat and went into a crevice high above the glass enclosure. Handlers kept watch for hours and tried luring it into its home with rat meat and used a blast of carbon dioxide, but resorted to killing it with a rifle shot to avoid injury to themselves.

Action take by Born Free USA:

Notes:

http://www.denverpost.com/2016/06/01/denver-zoo-emergency-policies/