( CNN ) -- It may take days or even weeks to find a venomous Egyptian cobra that has gone missing from New York 's Bronx Zoo , officials say . But staffers hold out hope that the 20-inch , pencil-thin snake is hiding out somewhere in the zoo 's reptile house and will surface when her `` comfort level rises . '' `` Our best strategy is patience , allowing her time to come out of hiding , '' said zoo director Jim Breheny . `` We understand the interest in this story and that everyone wants us to find the missing snake . Right now , it 's the snake 's game , '' Breheny said in a statement posted on the zoo 's website Monday . The zoo learned the adolescent Egyptian cobra was missing from an off-exhibit enclosure Saturday . Staff members closed and secured the reptile house . Daily sweeps continue . The zoo director said he is confident the snake will begin to move around the building to seek food and water once she feels completely secure . The Bronx Zoo case is reminiscent of an incident at Zoo Atlanta last year when a tiger rattlesnake went missing . Zoo officials believed the snake was hiding somewhere in the reptile house . But it was found two days later in the front porch of a neighborhood house where the homeowner had clubbed it to death -- unaware that it had escaped from the zoo . The Egyptian cobra is most commonly found in North Africa . Its venom is so deadly that it can kill a full-grown elephant in three hours -- or a person in about 15 minutes , according to wildlife experts . The venom destroys nerve tissue and causes paralysis and death due to respiratory failure . Scholars believe the Egyptian cobra was known in ancient times as the asp . Legend has it that Cleopatra , the ancient Egyptian queen , used an asp to commit suicide . While zoo personnel continue their search , someone has set up a cheeky Twitter account to chronicle the snake 's fictitious adventures as she apparently explores New York City . In 11 hours since it was created Monday , the @ BronxZoosCobra had collected more than 20,000 followers with tweets such as , `` Leaving Wall Street . These guys make my skin crawl . ''
Officials hope the snake will surface when her comfort level rises . Staffers believe it is still in the reptile building . The case is similar one at the Atlanta Zoo last year . A Twitter account chronicling the fictitious adventures of the snake has been created .