OCALA, Fla. – It's been four days since a 2-foot-long monocled cobra disappeared from a house in Ocala, and there still hasn't been any sign of the snake.
"You just gotta look under every nook and cranny on wood piles -- anywhere warm," said Sheila Mcquaide, who has worked in the reptile industry for more than 30 years. "I've talked to the owner and he said he's looked all of those places. But when (snakes) hole up, they can be really hard to find."
Mcquaide said as soon as she heard about the missing cobra, she came right over to offer her help.
"At this point, they prefer to just keep (the situation) between the owner and (the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)," Mcquaide said.
No one from the FWC was available to talk on camera, but crews have been searching the house and the surrounding area all week and plan to do so over the weekend, as well.
A spokesman said officials will do whatever it takes to find the cobra. They're even using special cameras to look inside the walls.
News 6 asked what would happen if someone got bit, and the spokesman said the FWC has anti-venom available. That news is doing little to offer comfort to residents in the neighborhood.
"When I first heard about the snake, I looked it up and I just wanted to see what it was exactly, and it said it was one of the most deadly snakes in the world," Britni Simpson said. "It's scary. I have four kids."
Simpson said her kids and dog normally would be outside playing, but she's keeping them in the house until the snake is found. She said she doesn't want to take any risks.
"I have family in town right now, so they're not able come over and we were going to do a barbecue this weekend and they can't now," Simpson said. "It's difficult, definitely."
The FWC asked that anyone who spots the snake to call the agency or 911 immediately.