It very well may be the best thing that ever happened to the Bronx Zoo. Losing track of a cobra could have become a publicity nightmare, (I’m sure initially it was) until suddenly, the snake had a Twitter account. The tweets were nothing short of hysterical…
When, the cobra was found (hate to spoil the fun, but it was basically in the dark corner of the same place they lost her,) it seemed the fun was over.Think again! A contest to name the snake garnered more than 33 thousand nominations, it’s now officially “Mia,” as in “missing in action.”
That twitter account? It’s still going! Now there’s even a Facebook campaign to have the cobra host SNL, and Mia herself is asking people to upload pictures of themselves with her. How to get a picture, you ask? The Bronx Zoo has capitalized on all the press to reopen the exhibit with more media coverage they could ever have imagined had they never lost the cobra in the first place. The sign above her enclosure in the reptile exhibit reads:  “Meet Mia – The Famous Bronx Zoo Cobra,” and includes details of her harrowing escape (to that corner across the room.)
On Twitter, the cobra is offering half price tickets to anyone who brings a glass cutter… so another adventure could be just moments away!
Nonetheless, the myriad of questions about how Miss Mia spent her time off the radar can now be answered. I just completed my ‘exclusive’ interview with the cobra, (She insists on taking questions exclusively via email) and here it is!
POP Goes The Week: You’ve been named mia… your thoughts on that?
MIA: Interesting that the zoo was totally fine never naming me until I became famous. Suddenly, oh yeah, we are gonna name her. Fact: They always name the cute animals.
How come you won’t follow anyone else besides the zoo on Twiter?? (@brianbalthazar, hint hint.)
I just like to keep a very close eye on the zoo. You never know what they could be up to.
At what point did you really realize you had ‘made it?’
When @SesameStreet tweeted me, it was very exciting. They know how to treat animals like the stars they are.
Did you hook up when you were out on the town? Or is that more of a zoo thing?
I get my share of asp.
You mentioned on Twitter your curiousity about the Spiderman Musical – did you go?
I really wanted to but the theater said it would be too dangerous for the audience. You know cause of all the falling actors.
Any advice for Charlie Sheen?
He should invest in a dictionary. I don’t think he has a very good understanding of what the word “winning” means.
What’s your idea of the perfect day?
Any day out on the town.
What’s your five year plan?
1 word. Zihuatanejo
What’s on your iPod? 
I’m really into Cobra Starship right now.
Natalie Portman. Discuss:
I hope she plays me when they make my story into a movie. I hear she was a very convincing swan recently.
Who inspires you?
The Wonder Pets. They do so much good.
Lindsay Lohan… Would you bite into that?
I hear that her bite can take down an elephant also.