Zebra runs loose in Seoul before being taken back to zoo

Workers from the Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation transported an escaped zebra after it was tranquilized in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday.Suh Dae-hyeon/Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A young zebra walked, trotted, and galloped for hours in the busy streets of South Korea’s capital before emergency workers tranquilized the animal and brought it back to a zoo.

The zebra — a male named Sero that was born in the zoo in 2021 — was in stable condition and being examined by veterinarians as of Thursday evening, said Choi Ye-ra, an official at the Children’s Grand Park in Seoul.

A zebra escaped from Seoul Children's Grand Park Thursday afternoon, and the authories are currently attempting to capture the animal.
According to the park, the escaped zebra is wandering around Jayang-dong, eastern Seoul. pic.twitter.com/0fqZvVtyEi

— The Korea Herald 코리아헤럴드 (@TheKoreaHerald) March 23, 2023

She said the zoo was investigating how the zebra managed to escape. She didn’t immediately confirm media reports that the animal partially destroyed the wooden fencing surrounding its pen before busting out around 2:50 p.m.

Social media was flowing with smartphone videos of the zebra trotting alongside lines of cars that were waiting for the greenlight at an intersection, and galloping through a street surrounded by commercial buildings as pedestrians stopped and gasped.

Police and emergency workers managed to corner the zebra after it entered a narrow alleyway between houses and shot it with tranquilizers, ending its three hours of freedom.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or property damage caused by the zebra running loose.