Wyoming residents were left fearing for their lives after a satirist page falsely claimed a truck filled with king cobras had overturned on a highway.
Casper Planet, a well-known satirist news Facebook page told its followers on July 30 that a ‘semi truck carrying a shipment of king cobras from a scientific research lab overturned on Interstate 25 near Casper’ which caused them all to go loose.
The post, which also has a fake crash pic attached, goes on to ‘inform’ locals that emergency response teams were dispatched to the scene immediately and a portion of the highway had been closed off for public safety’.
Despite it being popularly known as a spoof page, the post created massive panic among some of its 69,000 readers.
Wyoming residents were left fearing for their life after Casper Planet, a well-known satirist news page falsely claimed a truck filled with king cobras had overturned on a highway
‘This is frightening,’ one alarmed Facebook user wrote as another quipped, ‘I will have nightmares tonight, thank you very much!’
Another follower joked: ‘The beginning of a Stephen King movie.’
As a result of the prank, highway officials were forced to issue a statement to assure Casper residents that no such incident had occurred.
‘We would like to clarify that a commercial vehicle carrying cobras did NOT overturn on I-25 near Casper.
‘There is no danger to the public and I-25 is open,’ the Facebook post read.
The post, which has a fake crash pic attached, goes on to ‘inform’ locals that emergency response teams were dispatched to the scene immediately and a portion of the highway had been closed off for public safety’
Three hours after the original fake post was uploaded, Casper Planet also released an update telling its viewers that the incident is ‘not real’ and they should ‘respect authorities.’
‘I have been gone for 3 minutes and you are actually calling authorities about this? Don’t you look away! Back over here! We respect our authorities and they have better things to do.
‘This is not real *coughs* Nebraska…I mean everyone,’ the page wrote.
The king cobra is regarded as a fierce and aggressive snake, and its length and size give it an awe inspiring appearance.
As a result, highway officials were forced to issue a statement to assure Casper residents that no such incident had occurred
Despite its aggressive reputation, it is said that the king cobra only attacks people when it is cornered, in self-defense or to protect its eggs
The predator’s deadly fangs are almost 0.5 inches long and help push the prey on its path to the stomach.
They are known to be native to northern India, southern China, throughout the Malay Peninsula along with Indonesia and the Philippines.
Despite its aggressive reputation, it is said that the king cobra only attacks people when it is cornered, in self-defense or to protect its eggs.
Throughout its entire range from India to Indonesia, the king cobra causes fewer than five human deaths per year, about one-fifth as many as caused by rattlers in North America.
