NEW YORK (March 31, 2011) – Officials from the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo announced today that after a thorough seven-day search in the zoo’s Reptile House, the missing Egyptian cobra has been found inside the building.

Officials made the announcement at a news conference, where they showed a photograph of the adolescent snake resting comfortably in a secure enclosure.

The snake was found this morning in a non-public, off-exhibit area. After being at liberty in the Reptile House for a week, the snake will be placed under observation and evaluated. When we are certain that the snake is in good condition, we will reopen the Reptile House and plan to have the animal on exhibit.

“As you can imagine, we are delighted to report that the snake has been found alive and well,” said Jim Breheny, WCS Senior Vice President of Living Institutions and Director of the Bronx Zoo. “I really want to thank our staff for their determination and professionalism as we conducted the methodical search. We appreciated the public’s support throughout the past week and we thank the media for helping keep the public informed.”

Breheny added: “The key strategy here was patience.”

After the building was secured last Friday, WCS staff conducted sweeping searches around the clock on a daily basis. In addition, staff implemented a system for tracking any movement by the snake that would help aid in its capture. The difficulty was that the small snake, which is months old and weighs about 3 ounces, had sought out a secure hiding spot within the holding areas of the Reptile House – an extremely complex environment with pumps, motors, and other mechanical systems.

Contact:
Max Pulsinelli: 571-218-7601
Steve Fairchild: 914-263-8179
Stephen Sautner: 718-220-3682  

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The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Adult admission is $16, children (3-12 years old) $12, children under 3 are free, seniors (65+) are $14. Parking is $13 for cars and $16 for buses. The Bronx Zoo is conveniently located off the Bronx River Parkway at Exit 6; by train via the #2 or #5 or by bus via the #9, #12, #19, #22, MetroNorth, or BxM11 Express Bus service (from Manhattan that stops just outside the gate.) To plan your trip, visit www.bronxzoo.com <http://www.bronxzoo.com/> or call 718-367-1010.