Breaking Free from the Fence for Outdoor Activities
Overseas Netizens Join the 'Parody' Craze
Major Foreign Media Like CNN and BBC Report Continuously
Global netizens who sympathize with the zebra 'Sero,' who recently caused a zoo escape commotion, are creating various images to comfort and support Sero through artificial intelligence (AI).
According to AI startup Lion Rocket on the 27th, domestic and international netizens active on the image-generating AI workflow web platform 'Sporky' created more than 1,250 images related to Sero in just one day.
More than 1,250 images related to vertical were generated in one day by domestic and international netizens active on the image generation artificial intelligence (AI) workflow web platform 'Sporky'. [Image source=Sporky]
Netizens reportedly generated parody images with the message, "Let's fulfill Sero's dream of escaping the frustrating zoo."
Sero, a male zebra born in 2019, previously escaped on the afternoon of the 23rd by breaking the wooden deck installed around his enclosure at the Children's Grand Park Zoo in Neung-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. He wandered around roads and residential areas before being captured. The park explained that Sero began to rebel due to loneliness after losing his parents one after another and being left alone in the barn.
In response, netizens started creating parody images with the theme of "fulfilling the dream of the escaped Sero."
The images include Sero speaking at a UN conference, a lonely Sero sitting on the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones, zebras with K-POP stars, Sero striding upright on two legs down the street, dancing on stage, riding a motorcycle, and playing the guitar, among others.
These images are spreading through various online communities and social networking services (SNS).
Major foreign media such as CNN, BBC, and NBC also report consecutively
Furthermore, Sero's 'zoo escape incident' that occurred on the 23rd attracted attention as it was consecutively reported by major foreign media outlets such as CNN, BBC, and NBC News.
Jo Kyung-wook, head of the Animal Welfare Team at Seoul Children's Grand Park, said in a phone interview with NBC News on the 24th, "I was moved when I saw the video of Sero striding down the middle of the road and how the drivers carefully treated Sero who was blocking the cars amid heavy traffic."
Jo added, "The lesson our zoo learned from Sero's escape is that we must urgently remodel the zoo, including the area from which Sero escaped."
Meanwhile, following Sero's escape, the Children's Grand Park announced plans to replace the wooden fences of Sero's enclosure with steel ones and to repair the old and worn buildings within the first half of this year.
Heo Ho-jung, a zookeeper at Seoul Children's Grand Park, reported through multiple media outlets on the 24th about Sero's condition after returning to the zoo: "Fortunately, he is recovering well and is healthy. However, psychologically, he is completely sulking. He clearly refuses snacks and is gloomily waiting for the door to open."
Sero's favorite snack is carrots, but even when given carrots, he does not eat them and is said to be tapping his head against an indoor pillar.
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