An unlikely and dangerous stowaway slithered its way into a New Jersey-bound container ship this week. The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo reported the MV Maersk Sana was headed to port from Indonesia when a crewmember discovered an 18-inch-long Indian cobra. The Indian cobra is a native to Southern Asia and is highly venomous. U.S. wildlife officials were notified of the unexpected passenger Monday and called the Zoo’s reptile experts, known as herpetologists, to assist with specialized equipment to remove the snake.
A toxicology report from the University of San Diego states a strike from an Indian cobra can kill within an hour from paralysis, respiratory failure, and convulsions. After half an hour of snake rescue attempts, the snake was found and hoisted to the ship’s deck. No one was injured in the rescue, but the snake was in poor condition: dehydrated, cold, and covered in oil residue. The snake is now in quarantine and recovering at the Bronx Zoo’s Wildlife Health Center.