Man accidentally spills deadly cobras and is bitten at apartment, SD cops say

A South Dakota man was bitten by a highly venomous, and illegal, snake at his apartment after accidentally setting it loose, officials say.

The Sioux Falls Police Department received a 911 call about a snake bite Sunday, Sept. 7, and animal control officers were dispatched to the scene, Animal Control Supervisor Patty Beckman said during a Sept. 9 news briefing.

Beckman said the owner had three venomous snakes inside the apartment, including an eastern diamondback rattlesnake, and a pair of African forest cobras.

Animal control officers say the rattlesnake was secured in a glass enclosure, but the two cobras had been inside plastic totes, which were knocked over, spilling them onto the floor, Beckman said. The owner stepped on one of the cobras, which then bit him, she added.

“So, not very secure enclosures,” she said.

The man was taken to a hospital for treatment, Beckman said. As of Sept. 9, she did not know what his condition was.

The forest cobra is the largest true cobra species in Africa, and can grow up to 10 feet long in the wild, according to iNaturalist. They are generally timid and human encounters are rare. As a result, “clinical experience with this species has been very sparse,” however, it is among the most venomous of the true cobras, and the mortality rate from envenomation, when not treated, is “thought to be quite high.”

Poor containment aside, it is illegal to own venomous snakes in South Dakota, Beckman said.

“You’re not only putting yourself in danger when you own these animals,” she said, as they can pose a threat to the community, and to law enforcement.

Animal control officers rounded up the snakes and they were handed over to the Reptile Gardens zoo in Rapid City, she said.

An investigation is underway, Beckman said, and officials are determining what charges, if any, will be brought against the owner.

This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Man accidentally spills deadly cobras and is bitten at apartment, SD cops say."