A zebra that escaped from her owner in Washington state and went on the run for nearly six days has finally been rescued.
In a statement released on Friday, the regional animal services of King county (Raskc) announced that the zebra – whose name is Shug – was captured near North Bend after roaming in the foothills of the Cascades for the better part of a week.
Shug first escaped on 28 April after her owner stopped off Interstate 90 in the North Bend area to reportedly fix a problem with a trailer carrying the zebra and three of her brethren. According to local news outlets, the owner bought the zebras from Winlock, Washington, and was transporting them to her petting zoo in Anaconda, Montana.
While the owner attempted to secure the trailer, all four zebras escaped. Three zebras were collected within a few hours and continued their journey to Anaconda. Shug, though, remained elusive and was occasionally spotted by local residents around the area.
Signs including “South Fork is Team Zebra! Call 911 if you see [her]!” and “Zebra crossing” were set up by local residents. Patrick Murphy, a North Bend resident who was on a run in the woods when he spotted Shug, told KOMO: “It’s kind of like the local Bigfoot now. I hope they catch [her] but you know, the zebra might live in the hills forever, in our hearts. I jokingly said, ‘You don’t find the zebra. The zebra finds you.’”
In its statement, Rasckc announced that private civilians and animal control officers ultimately made the rescue on Friday evening, adding that Shug appeared to be in good condition.
“Raskc would like to thank its partners, including the King county sheriff’s office, King county parks, the Washington state patrol, the city of North Bend, and the numerous residents of the area who assisted in this successful outcome,” the statement said. “Raskc expects to release additional details about the zebra’s rescue soon.”
