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There's A 'Mildly Venomous' Snake Loose In The Bronx Zoo, Officials Say

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A venomous snake has gotten loose inside the Bronx Zoo.

According to officials at the New York attraction a 3 1/2-foot mangrove snake somehow escaped from its cage in the zoo's JungleWorld exhibit on Tuesday.

Zoo officials called the snake "mildly venomous" and say the slithery fugitive is actually a timid creature that is more likely to try to find a place to hide until zookeepers can track it down.

"While we are confident the snake poses no threat to visitors, we placed a sign at the entrance of the exhibit out of an abundance of caution," the Bronx Zoo told CBS2 in a statement.

"Mangrove snakes, though mildly venomous, are not known to be dangerous to people. They are shy, timid, secretive in nature and active at night."

Zoo officials added that the missing mangrove likely snuck out through a mesh cover and is still somewhere in JungleWorld.

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