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The zoo closed the reptile house indefinitely Friday when staff members discovered that the adolescent cobra was not in its off-exhibit enclosure.
"Based on our knowledge of the natural history and behavior of snakes, we know they seek closed-in spaces and are not comfortable in open areas," the zoo said on its website. "We are confident that the snake, about 20 inches long, is contained in a nonpublic isolation area within the building."
The zoo, which has stayed open, said it was notifying the public about the missing snake "out of an abundance of caution."
Jim Breheny, the zoo's director, said the cobra will most likely avoid open areas.
"To understand the situation, you have to understand snakes," Breheny said Sunday in a statement carried by several news organizations. "Upon leaving its enclosure, the snake would feel vulnerable and seek out a place to hide and feel safe. When the snake gets hungry or thirsty, it will start to move around the building. Once that happens, it will be our best opportunity to recover it."
The Egyptian cobra has venom that can deliver a fatal attack to the nervous system, according to news reports.
While word of the missing snake unnerved some zoo visitors, others saw it as a challenge.
"I thought it would be great if we found it," 8-year-old Hayden Collins told The Wall Street Journal, as he and his two younger brothers poked sticks into dry leaves on a hunt for the cobra.
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