Could this be some not-so-hisssterical joke? Someone hung up a lost-pet poster in the U.K. city of Oxford, claiming his or her “highly venomous” snake is missing. The thought of such a dangerous animal roaming freely around town has caused concern. Some people have even claimed to have seen the animal. Problem is, the phone number on the poster doesn’t work, so some people are saying the missing venomous snake is actually a hoax.
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Oxford Mail reports onlookers found the poster attached to a lamppost near Barefoot Cafe in Walton Street on Friday last week. The poster reads:
“ATTENTION!
MISSING SNAKE
HIGHLY VENOMOUS, DO NOT APPROACH!
PLEASE CALL ON 01865 236780.
DO NOT CALL THE POLICE OR THEY WILL TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME”
The poster also includes a photo of a snake that appears to be a cobra. There are around 30 extant species of true cobras (members of the Naja genus) in the world, none native to Europe, and they’re all venomous.
Oxford Mail says someone reported seeing this snake on a local Facebook group. However, others (including Oxford Mail) say they’ve tried calling the number and found it disconnected.
A city official has even come forward saying he thinks it’s a hoax based on the disconnected number. But what if the individual who made this poster decided it was a bad idea to share his or her number after the story went viral? The snake owner, if such a snake exists, did infer he or she is scared of repercussions.
For the safety of people and pets in this area, we hope the person comes forward either to verify the lost snake or admit it was a joke.
What do you think? Is there a venomous snake on the loose in Oxford, or is this all a hoax?
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