An escaped pet was the “story” being pushed by PETA and HSUS. However, given that the cobra is a BEL (blue eyed leusy) and is quite rare.. and hence quite valuable. It’s probably one that was bought and released specifically to generate fear and panic in the effort to pass anti pet legislation in the state.
NJ had a somewhat similar incident this year with the so called 30 foot “boa” supposedly swimming in a lake. No evidence of any large snake at all was found and the guy making the claim was a PETAfile freak.
Another incident was the released croc here in WV. Interesting how the story died down quickly when the croc was identified as one sold to a known HSUS supporter from a neighboring state. It was deliberately released to generate panic.
Then in NC the Gaboon viper shed found in a mail shed in an apartment complex. Turns out, it was identified as a shed sold on line by a keeper in another state. Wanna guess what groups the person that bought it supported?
Are there escapes? Sure. It’s rare, but not unheard of. But snakes like the cobra aren’t going to go looking for people to bite. They’ll avoid contact with people if at all possible. I’d be more concerned with outdoor cats and roaming dogs.
Good informative post.