New York's missing venomous Egyptian cobra found

The 24-inch snake was found coiled in a dark corner of the zoo's reptile house yesterday, said zoo director Jim Breheny.

"As you can imagine, we are delighted to report that the snake has been found alive and well," he said.

The reptile house was closed last Friday after the snake disappeared and zoo workers couldn't find her.

Bronx Zoo is the largest metropolitan zoo in the US. Breheny said zoo workers put out wood chips that had been used as bedding for mice in order to lure the 85-gram snake out of hiding.

"We were fairly confident that she would come out and she did," the official said, adding the zoo is evaluating its protocols to make sure the snake doesn't escape again. Zoo officials hope to reopen the reptile house next week.

Breheny said the snake was "resting comfortably and secure" and was being evaluated to make sure she was in good condition.

The Egyptian cobra is most commonly found in North Africa. Its venom is so deadly that it can kill a full-grown elephant in three hours or a person in about 15 minutes, according to wildlife experts.

The venom destroys nerve tissue and causes paralysis and death due to respiratory failure.

Scholars believe the Egyptian cobra was known in ancient times as the asp.

Legend has it that Cleopatra, the ancient Egyptian queen, used an asp to commit suicide.