A recent Facebook post by the popular local satire page, Casper Planet, prompted an official response from the Wyoming Highway Patrol after some readers believed the fictional story to be true.
Published on Tuesday afternoon, the story claimed that a truck transporting “a shipment of king cobras from a scientific research lab” had overturned on Interstate 25 near Casper.
“Emergency response teams, including wildlife experts and snake handlers, were dispatched to the scene immediately,” the article stated.
The article further "announced" that a section of the highway had been closed for public safety and to assist in recapturing the snakes. As per the story, the snakes were being transported to a facility in Montana for scientific research on their venom.
Casper's King Cobras In Wyoming Post Is Satiracal And Not True!
The post caused alarm among some readers. Later that afternoon, the Wyoming Highway Patrol released a statement on Facebook to clear up the confusion.
“We would like to clarify that a commercial vehicle carrying cobras did NOT overturn on I-25 near Casper,” the press release by WHP states. “There is no danger to the public and I-25 is open.”
Casper Planet also updated the original story, making light of the confusion it caused.
“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,” Casper Planet wrote. “This is not real *coughs* Nebraska…I mean everyone.”
About four hours after the original satirical story was published, Casper Planet posted a follow-up article clarifying its satirical nature, titled, “Casper, Wyoming Declares Victory Over Imaginary King Cobras on I-25.”
Recent stories from Casper Planet have included a tale of a man who knocked out a bear with a single punch, a meteor striking Casper, and a naturally occurring well filled with chocolate instead of groundwater.
