A runaway pet zebra that was on the loose for more than a week in Tennessee and became an internet sensation in the process was captured on Sunday, authorities said.
Ed the zebra was captured safely after being located in a pasture near a subdivision in the Christiana community in central Tennessee, the Rutherford county sheriff’s office confirmed.
The sheriff’s office said aviation crews captured the zebra.
“Ed was airlifted and flown by helicopter back to a waiting animal trailer,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Ed arrived in Christiana on 30 May, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities reported that a fugitive pet zebra that had been on the loose for over a week in Tennessee and had gained widespread attention online was apprehended on Sunday.
The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Ed the zebra was safely apprehended after being found in a pasture close to a subdivision in the Christiana neighborhood of central Tennessee. Aviation crews reportedly caught the zebra, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, Ed was airlifted and transported by helicopter back to an animal trailer that was waiting.
The sheriff’s office uploaded a video of Ed being carried by helicopter to the trailer while wrapped in a net and his head protruding.
According to the sheriff’s office, Ed got to Christiana on May 30. The following day, his owner reported him missing.
When deputies saw and captured footage of the zebra running along Interstate 24, they had to close the road. Ed, however, fled into a wooded landscape.
Numerous sightings were reported on social media. Ed was seen trotting around a neighborhood on camera.
Memes on the internet quickly centered around the zebra. Ed was seen eating at a Waffle House, a southern mainstay, in one fictitious post. Others had him panhandling on the side of the road or traveling to other Tennessee cities.
