Escaped Zebra Sends South Korean Zookeepers Running In Circles & Leaves Locals Confused
Yes, the zebra crossed the zebra crossing.
By Khadijah Amir — 29 Mar 2023, 12:08 PM
Pedestrians walking down streets of Gwangjin district in Seoul were in for a surprise when a male zebra from the Seoul Children's Grand Park Zoo was spotted trotting around the area
On Thursday, 23 March, the three-year-old male zebra named Saero roamed the streets of Seoul for hours, sending local authorities into a frenzy to capture and return the animal back to the zoo, located east of the capital city.
Local authorities say Saero escaped his enclosure after damaging a wooden deck. According to CNN, the first report of the escaped animal came to Gwangjin-gu fire station at around 3.45pm. The department then had Saero ready to be shipped back home by 6pm the same day.
A video showing the zebra zipping through alleyways as local authorities and zookeepers blocked its exits has since circulated the Internet. The zebra was sedated with seven shots of muscle relaxant before being loaded onto a truck headed back to Seoul Children's Grand Park Zoo.
Watch the video here:
This was not the first time animals have escaped from Seoul Children's Garden Park Zoo. In April 2005, a herd of six elephants escaped the zoo and injured one woman while charging into restaurants and a school.
Thankfully, this recent incident with Saero left no injuries.
The rogue zebra already had a rebellious streak prior to his escape, following the death of both his parents
Both Saero's parents died of illness, sending the young foal into a series of rebellious behaviour. The Washington Post reported that Saero began by refusing to eat his favourite snacks, which are apples and carrots, and escalated to picking fights with kangaroos in the neighbouring enclosure.
According to The Star, Saero was also described as a 'mummy's boy'.
The zebra's escapade through Gwangjin district had him poking his nose in garbage bins, damaging bicycles and other public property, crossing a zebra crossing, and shocking South Koreans witnessing the incident.
Many of the eyewitnesses were stunned upon seeing a zebra casually strolling down the streets for the first time in their lives
A driver told Yonhap News that the zebra suddenly came out of an alley and hit the side of his truck, leaving him with no time to dodge.
A video shared on Twitter showed the zebra weaving through traffic, and a woman can be heard in the background calling the animal handsome.
An image of Saero staring straight at a food delivery rider in a narrow alleyway became one of the highlights of the whole incident, with netizens wondering what the rider must have felt during the obscure encounter.
