EVERYBODY STRAP IN

The people who say all press is good press probably didn’t have an adolescent Egyptian cobra escape from their Reptile House.

Or. Did. They.

Last Friday, the Bronx Zoo discovered a snake was missing and posted a note about it on their website. I’m not on their press list, but presumably they sent a media alert out as well. Why they needed to tell the public the reason the Reptile House is closed, I don’t know. I won’t judge, because while it often feels that way, I don’t work at a zoo.

Here’s the note that’s on their site today:

We understand the interest in this story and that everyone wants us to
find the missing snake. Right now, it’s the snake’s game. At this point,
it’s just like fishing; you put the hook in the water and wait. Our
best strategy is patience, allowing her time to come out of hiding. We
remain confident that the snake is contained within the Reptile House.

When
we discovered the snake was missing on Friday, we immediately secured
the building and conducted a search of all accessible areas. Sweeping
searches continue on a daily basis. In addition, we implemented a system
for tracking any movement by the snake that would help aid in its
capture. The difficulty is that the 20-inch, pencil-thin snake, which is
months old and weighs less than 3 ounces, has sought out a secure
hiding spot within the Reptile House. The holding areas of the Reptile
House are extremely complex environments with pumps, motors and other
mechanical systems. In this complex environment, she will likely remain
in hiding and not move until she feels completely secure. As her comfort
level rises, she will begin to move around the building to seek food
and water.

As this may take days or
even weeks, daily updates should not be expected. As the situation
changes we will share any information with you. But now, we need to
focus our attention and energy on recovery strategies.

Jim Breheny

SVP for WCS and Bronx Zoo Director

Updated:
3/28/2011

“Right now, IT’S THE SNAKE’S GAME!” I mean, isn’t it always?

Meanwhile, this she-cobra (it’s a girl!), has gotten more press in the past five days than my entire client list combined has gotten this season. Vanity Fair, CNN, MTV, NPR, The Huffington Post (but I mean come on: you don’t have to escape from a zoo to get on the Huffington Post – ZING!), The New York Times, and The Washington Post, among others. The lady snake has also taken to Twitter, which, not unlike similar moves by Kanye West and Charlie Sheen, has resulted in even more media attention. The reptile has 79,774 followers. I have 1,137.

Two possible solutions seem fairly obvious to me:
1. Go get Harry Potter. He’s on Broadway.