Not everyone in Palo Alto bought into the Mamba nonsense. My husband and I thought it was a hoax and so did most of the people we knew in town. Gullible folks were as nervous as a cat on I-5. It was entertaining at best. Thanks for the memories...

From memory, some years later there was a similar scare about a Black Mamba snake on a VTA bus. At the time, it was jokingly rumored to be the same one resurfaced!

Lived in Palo Alto most of my life. I purchased my midtown home in 1994... The "kid" he was 28 or so who lived across the street from me, told me he was the one that created that hoax.....
I generally believe him as seemed something he would do LOL. They have long moved away, out of state. I told him I had a "herpetology" background, raised many reptiles/amphibians, and never believed was true. Many years later around 2001, a 100+lb Tortoise crawled into the yard next door to the home across the street Turns out the neighbor behind them had about 12 Tortoise, that lived in their yard and had a winter spot inside their home. I suspect the "kid" got his reptile/ snake hoax idea from the knowledge of his neighbors collection of reptiles.
III

I still remember not being allowed to walk or bike to/from school for like a week. What a time to be alive!

I remember how out of hand the rumor mill reached on this. People who were otherwise reasonable had actual concerns about the black mamba attacking them while driving...huh? It was a classic case of "telephone", now more commonly known as "social media". I think that the mountain lion who wandered along Coleridge avenue in 2004 (which police eventually shot) was a bigger story.

All perceived or reported threats to the community must be fully investigated and Palo Alto city officials fulfilled their responsibility in doing so.

Whether the caller's snake reportage was real or fabricated is immaterial.

Imagine if such a snake had actually eluded the authorities prior to the search being called off.

Fortunately it was not reported lost at Foothills Park or somewhere within Stanford's vast acreage.