Albino cobra captured in Thousand Oaks after 4-day search

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Los Angeles County animal control officers carry the monocled cobra in a box to their truck Thursday afternoon. It was captured after being spotted crossing the street into the yard where it attacked a dog earlier this week. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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An L.A. County animal control officer catches the cobra in a Thousand Oaks backyard. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles County animal control officers carry the cobra in a box to their truck Thursday afternoon. It was captured after being spotted crossing the street into the yard where it attacked a dog earlier this week. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles County animal care and control officers search for a venomous cobra in Thousand Oaks on Thursday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles County animal care and control officers continue their search for a venomous cobra in Thousand Oaks on Thursday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles County animal care and control officers continue their search for a venomous cobra in Thousand Oaks on Thursday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Residents talk to Department of Fish and Wildlife warden Dennis Rosenberg, second from right, as department officials and local animal control officers search the neighborhood around the 1300 block of Rancho Lane in Thousand Oaks for an at-large cobra. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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A Twitter photo of the cobra on the loose is displayed on a smartphone by a neighbor as officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and local animal control officers search the neighborhood around the 1300 block of Rancho Lane in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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L.A. County Animal Control officer Manuel Gonzalez, left, and state Department of Fish and Wildlife warden Dennis Rosenberg hop a fence Wednesday after searching for a cobra where it was last seen in Thousand Oaks. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

By Adolfo Flores

Sept. 4, 2014 3:57 PM PT

A venomous albino cobra on the loose for days in Thousand Oaks was caught Thursday afternoon when it made an unexpected appearance in a suburban neighborhood.

The albino monocled cobra -- which can grow up to 7 feet long as an adult and has venom that can kill a human within an hour -- was captured around 3:15 p.m. after being spotted slithering along a fence, said Janice Mackey, spokeswoman for California Fish & Wildlife.

It marked the first time the cobra had been seen since Monday, when it was spotted in the 1300 block of Rancho Lane -- not far from where it turned up Thursday.

Animal control officers went into a backyard of a home in the 300 block of Rancho Road and spotted the snake near a fence after moving some debris, said Brandon Dowling, a Los Angeles County spokesman.

Animal Care and Control Lt. Fred Agoopi captured the snake using a metal pole and put it inside a wooden crate.

“The snake was agitated obviously, because they were trying to move it,” Dowling said. “No one was injured though.”

Tanya Gray was driving when she saw the cobra and called authorities. She pulled over and tried to keep track of it.

“I went into action so I could keep track of it, so I could tell people where it was,” Gray said.

The albino cobra was being held at the Los Angeles Department of Animal Care & Control shelter in Agoura Hills, Dowling, the county spokesman said. The snake will be housed there until the Los Angeles City Zoo can pick it up and evaluate it.

It’s unclear if the pale-colored, hooded snake bit a dog Monday before disappearing, Dowling said. The dog’s owners were able to take a photo of the snake before it slipped away.

“I can confirm that the dog had an injury to its neck, but it was not necessarily a snake bite,” Dowling said.

The dog was treated and said to be in good health.

Authorities said the cobra’s owner has not come forward.