Terrified California residents warned to stay inside as deadly 5-foot African viper escapes

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Residents of Santa Ana have been warned not to approach or handle a venomous African serpent currently on the loose.

The Santa Ana Police Department issued a statement confirming that the four- to five-foot-long Gaboon viper was last spotted Monday in a residential tree near Edinger Avenue and Main Street.

According to reporting from The Orange County Register, law enforcement verified the snake's species using images taken during the initial sighting. Authorities have recorded no further sightings since Monday.

Police officers are working alongside professional handlers and a snake expert to manage the search.

"We have received reports of a snake believed to be a Gaboon Viper, last seen in a tree within a residential neighborhood near Main Street and Edinger Avenue. The snake is estimated to be approximately 4 to 5 feet long. Gaboon Vipers are highly venomous and are not native to North America," stated the Santa Ana Police Department in a social media message.

Local resident Joel Ciprian, who captured the photo of the snake, told CBS Los Angeles, "I wish it was AI. It’s in my backyard, and it’s scary... When I looked at it close, I was like, ‘Oh, no, it’s a venomous snake."

Officer Natalie Garcia informed the station, "We're treating this as if it is a real snake. A Gaboon viper is a very serious snake. It's a very serious matter." In a separate statement to The Register, Garcia confirmed that police are working alongside professional snake catchers to locate the animal.

Information from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute describes Gaboon vipers as featuring geometric patterns in shades of light and dark brown, pink, and purple, complete with back stripes and diamond markings. Native to rainforests in Central, West, and East Africa, the species cannot be lawfully possessed or transported in California without holding a special permit.

"Its coloration and broad head, which mimics a fallen leaf, camouflages it among leaf litter on the forest floor. Though venomous, this snake has a calm nature and rarely bites humans." The institute noted that female vipers generally give birth to between 50 and 60 live offspring.

According to the Los Angeles Zoo, the Western Gaboon viper is recognized as "one of the world’s largest and heaviest vipers" and possesses the highest venom yield among all venomous snakes.

"When threatened, they initially hold very still and hiss loudly as a warning. While Western Gaboon viper bites are rare for humans, when they do bite, it is often fatal," the zoo’s website states.

Although bites to humans are rare, the Smithsonian Institution stressed that a single Gaboon viper bite can be fatal. The snake generally bites when someone accidentally steps on it.

In 2022, a North Carolina resident survived a Gaboon viper bite, with a doctor telling WBTW at the time, "Patients that are bitten by these snakes often don’t survive."