Concern in Niagara Falls, after a man discovers a deadly snake in the back of his truck.

A reptile expert has identified the snake as a South African Cobra.

Sam O’Shea first spotted the two-foot-long snake yesterday evening in the back of his pick up truck playing with a cat.

O’Shea then called his friend who owns a number of non-venomous snakes, and was able to capture the cobra before contacting the zoo.

Just last year Niagara police announced that a number of venomous snakes has been stolen from a Thorold home that was breeding the animals for online sale. It’s unclear if the snakes were ever recovered and if this one is at all related to that incident.

There are not any provincial laws banning the ownership of venomous snakes but there are municipal by-laws in Niagara that do ban them.