5 Zebras On Loose In Prince George's County: Officials

Bowie MD

08 September, 2021

10:59 PM

Description

UPPER MARLBORO, MD — Five zebras escaped a private farm in the Upper Marlboro area and are on the run in Prince George's County. Authorities need help finding them, but don't try to corral them, experts warn. Animal services officials said the striped fugitives escaped Aug. 31 from a property near Bellefield and Duley Station roads. The owner has tried to lure the zebras with grain to a temporary corral to confine them, but that's been unsuccessful as of Wednesday, The Washington Post reported. The escaped zebras are traveling as a trio and then a separate pair. "Never approach them, and don't try to pet them," Rodney Taylor, chief of the Prince George's animal services division, told the Washington Post. "They're not going to chase you down. But they are zebras, so they're not handled by people a lot, so to defend themselves they could bite." The farm owner, who is licensed by the USDA, has put up cameras in the area where the mini-herd has been spotted. The animals have been caught on video between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., WUSA reported. So, the owner is putting up fencing gradually to confine them when they feed, tranquilize the zebras and get them back home. Veterinarian Linda Molesworth compared catching a zebra to trying to snag a deer in a field or stopping a wild bull. "Some people think they are like horses, but they are not," Molesworth told WTOP. "You cannot walk up and grab them. They will run through something; so if you have them in a fence they will try to run through the fence or climb over it." If you see the errant zebras, call Prince George's County Animal Control at 301-780-7242.