Captured with a Tranquilizer Dart Eight Days After Escape
Runaway Zebra Becomes an Online Sensation
Netizens Give the Zebra the Name "Ed"
A pet zebra that escaped from a home in Tennessee and had been on the run for over a week was finally caught after eight days and returned home by helicopter.
On June 9, international media outlets such as the Associated Press and USA Today reported that a zebra named Ed escaped on May 31, just one day after arriving at the home of a couple living in Christiana, Tennessee, on May 30. Afterwards, Ed was spotted running along Interstate 24 from southern Illinois to southern Tennessee. Police blocked off the road and attempted to capture the zebra, but it fled into the woods.
A pet zebra that escaped from a home in Tennessee, USA, and had been on the run for over a week was finally caught after eight days and returned home by helicopter. Rutherford County Sheriff's Office
The zebra's escape quickly became a hot topic on social networking services (SNS), and videos capturing the zebra's flight, along with eyewitness accounts, began to be posted one after another on SNS. The zebra, which roamed neighborhoods across central Tennessee, gained popularity online, and netizens gave it the name "Ed." In particular, footage of Ed running on a city highway was turned into memes and became especially popular. Edited images showing Ed dining at a famous southern waffle restaurant, visiting other cities in Tennessee, or begging on the street were also widely circulated.
The zebra's escape quickly became a hot topic on social networking services (SNS), and videos capturing the zebra's flight, along with eyewitness accounts, began to be posted one after another on SNS. Rutherford County Sheriff's Office
Ed was spotted in a field near Christiana on June 6. The rescue team tracked the zebra using drones and asked residents to refrain from approaching the area so as not to startle Ed. The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office stated, "People and cameras are agitating the zebra and interfering with the rescue operation," and added, "The zebra needs time to calm down." Ultimately, on June 8, eight days after the escape, Ed was captured with a tranquilizer dart, transported by helicopter, and then transferred to an animal transport trailer that was on standby. Ed was examined by a veterinarian at the scene and safely returned to his owner. In the video released by the sheriff's office showing the capture, Ed is seen wrapped in a net with only his head exposed, hanging from the helicopter. Authorities did not disclose the specific reasons why an aerial rescue was necessary. Meanwhile, it is reported that in Tennessee, zebras can be kept as pets without special permits. Zebras are classified as Class III animals, a category that also includes ferrets, chinchillas, llamas, and kangaroos.
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