An “extremely venomous” two-meter-long green mamba snake is on the loose in the Netherlands, announced the police on Tuesday. They have alerted residents to stay indoors and under no circumstances attempt to catch the serpent.
Police in the southern Dutch city of Tilburg were informed by the mamba’s owner on Monday evening that “he was missing a snake.”
Issuing a wanted poster with a mugshot of the coiled green mamba, police warned: “The snake is very dangerous.”
The police stated that they had reached out to several experts in the country to quickly locate the snake in the home. They also mentioned that the search for the snake would include a sniffer dog.
“The green mamba’s bite is extremely venomous. If anyone is bitten, it is important to seek immediate medical attention,” warned the police.
On the plus side, the police stated that the green mamba “does not seek confrontation” and is unlikely to venture outside into the Dutch winter due to the cold temperatures.
“He likes dark and warm spaces. If he finds that, he will be very passive,” the police statement added.
The Pretoria Zoo notes that green mambas are native to coastal regions of southern East Africa and are extremely venomous carnivores. The zoo stated, “Case reports of rapidly fatal outcomes, in as little as 30 minutes, have been recorded for this species.”
