CHAPEL HILL -- An Orange County man is in legal trouble after his pet king cobra bit him in the hand earlier this month.
Ali Iyoob, 21, was bitten in his hand and tried to drive himself to the hospital, but then pulled over to call 911. He spent several days in intensive care at UNC Hospital before being released a few days ago.
Max Perdue, a close friend, says Iyoob is back at work and trying to get back to normal life.
"It was scary at first. He's doing very well. His hand is in the process of being fully healed. There is no medical treatment necessary at this point," he said.
While Iyoob was hospitalized, animal services seized dozens of animals from his home. They included 34 snakes, 18 of them were venomous. The constrictive snakes were sent to the North Carolina Zoo, and the restrictive snakes are now at a facility in South Carolina.
Other seized reptiles are with the county's wildlife services. It's illegal to own snakes in the state and Orange County unless special permission is given, which authorities say Iyoob didn't have.
"He will have to deal with the consequences of what has happened, but he will like to do it in the private eye."
Several people have donated to Iyoob's GoFundMe page for his medical expenses, but many are wondering why he would keep poisonous snakes. Perdue says his friend is a biologist and that's what he loves.
"People aren't going to understand what other people do, to each their own."
Iyoob is set to go to court next month.