"Lost Parents and Feeling Lonely... Growing More Rebellious"
Sometimes Fights with Kangaroos from the Same Herbivore Village
Currently Healthy... Scheduled to Cohabit with Peer Female Next Year
The zebra 'Sero,' who caused a commotion by escaping from the zoo, was confirmed on the 24th to be in good health after waking up from anesthesia.
The male Grant zebra 'Sero,' who escaped from the Seoul Children's Grand Park Zoo in Gwangjin-gu the previous day and was caught, roamed the roads and residential areas for about 20 minutes immediately after escaping. He was surrounded in an alley in Guui-dong about 1 km away from the zoo, hit with a tranquilizer dart, and returned to the zoo 3 hours and 30 minutes after the escape.
The appearance of the zebra 'Sero' uploaded two months ago on the official YouTube account of Seoul Facilities Corporation [Image source=Captured from SeosigongTV YouTube]
"In very good health... with an expression like 'What happened yesterday?'"
After regaining consciousness, Sero was reported to have regained stability under the care of a dedicated veterinarian and zookeeper. He was resting in good health at the zoo that morning as well.
Jo Kyung-wook, head of the Animal Welfare Team at Seoul Children's Grand Park, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency, "There are slight scratches on his legs, but they are healing naturally," adding, "When I checked early this morning, Sero was very healthy and even had an expression like 'What happened yesterday?'"
On the afternoon of the 23rd, a zebra that escaped from Children's Grand Park was wandering around a residential area near Jayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
Jo explained, "The reason for the escape is unclear," but added, "(Zebras) are animals that live in herds, and it seems he felt very lonely living alone."
Next year, plans are in place to introduce a female zebra of the same age from another zoo to live together with Sero at the Grand Park Zoo.
Lost parents and became rebellious... even fought with kangaroos in the herbivore village
On the afternoon of the 23rd, firefighters are attempting to capture a zebra that escaped from Children's Grand Park in a residential area of Jayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
According to Seoul Children's Grand Park, Sero was born in the zoo in June 2019 and lived with his parents until he lost his mother 'Lulu' in 2021 and his father 'Garo' last year.
The average lifespan of a zebra is 20 to 25 years, and both parents were around 20 years old, so they are believed to have died of old age.
Since then, Sero has been living alone in the barn. His older siblings, born to the same parents, were all sent to other zoos before Sero was born due to lack of space in the barn.
Sero is said to be at the stage equivalent to a young adult who has just graduated from adolescence in human terms.
The zoo explained, "After losing his parents and living alone, his rebelliousness has increased significantly."
Recently, it was reported that he refused to enter the indoor space at night and tried to stay in the outdoor enclosure.
On the afternoon of the 23rd, a magpie was wandering around a residential area. [Image source=Yonhap News]
He was also seen peeking into the 'next door' where a kangaroo family lives in the same herbivore village and had scuffles with a male kangaroo.
A shorts video uploaded by the Seoul Facilities Corporation on YouTube in January this year also showed that Sero, who used to be a 'mommy and daddy's shadow,' started to rebel after losing his parents.
The Children's Grand Park plans to prevent recurrence by advancing the schedule for facility repairs originally planned for the first half of the year. They will replace the fence material from wood to steel and increase its height before Children's Day.
Sero is expected to rest in the main enclosure for the time being and will appear in the outdoor enclosure around next month after the facility repairs are completed.
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