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Missing cobra sinks fangs into Twitter

John D. Sutter
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How to catch an escaped cobra
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • New Twitter feed gains more than 75,000 followers by mocking the escape of a zoo cobra
  • The venemous snake went missing Monday in New York's Bronx Zoo
  • Officials say the snake likely is contained in a non-public building
RELATED TOPICS
  • Bronx Zoo
  • Internet
  • Twitter Inc.

(CNN) -- An escaped Egyptian cobra has slithered its way out of a New York City zoo and onto the internet, where the reptile is winning tens of thousands of fans.

After launching on Monday, the anonymous @BronxZoosCobra Twitter feed had amassed more than 75,000 followers by Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET.

The feed pretends to chronicle the escapades of the venomous, 20-inch snake that escaped from the Bronx Zoo on Monday. Officials say it may be days or weeks before the real snake is found, although they urge the public not to panic, saying the cobra is likely contained within a building in the zoo.

"We understand the interest in this story and that everyone wants us to find the missing snake. Right now, it's the snake's game," the zoo's director, Jim Breheny, said in a statement issued on the zoo's website.

"At this point, it's just like fishing; you put the hook in the water and wait. Our best strategy is patience, allowing her time to come out of hiding."

In the interim, the anonymous cobra Twitter feed has given the snake a hilarious shtick by toying a bit with the fears of skittish New Yorkers.

"It's getting pretty cold out. I think it's probably time to crash. Oh look, an apartment window someone left open just a crack. Perfect!" the snake wrote.

Well, "wrote" in a loose, slithery sense of the word. The snake acknowledges that, without fingers, typing could be difficult -- if she weren't so tech-savvy.

"A lot of people are asking how I can tweet with no access to a computer or fingers. Ever heard of an iPhone? Duh," another post says.

Here are a few of our other favorites.

"Leaving Wall Street. These guys make my skin crawl."

"Anyone know of a good vegan restaurant near Union Square?"

"On top of the Empire State Building! All the people look like little mice down there. Delicious little mice."

"Dear @CharlieSheen, know what's better than tiger's blood? Cobra venom. #winning #snakeonthetown Also I'm 20 inches long. Just sayin'.").

"Holding very still in the snake exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. This is gonna be hilarious!"

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