Reprint of article posted on February 20, 2009 by the Exotic Car Examiner
Zebra caught playing in traffic on Atlanta, Georgia highway (video)
Exotics news! Ferrari stallions, Lamborghini bulls, and now wild Zebra running on United States highways? It looks that way. The following raw footage video shows the African mammal on the run and caught on an Atlanta, Georgia interstate. [Feb 20.]
Editorial note: Fortunately for the animal and startled drivers watching the incident, this one did not end up a wrecked exotic.
ZEBRA BREAKS FREE FROM CIRCUS
Ecorazzi reports:
It’s bad enough that any animal has to suffer in a circus — but how about when they finally have a chance to escape…and find themselves stuck in the middle of downtown Atlanta? That’s like going from one circle of hell to another.
Such was the sad display that happened yesterday after a Barnum & Bailey zebra escaped from its enclosure and galloped to freedom down a major commuter thoroughfare.
Atlanta’s finest went hot in pursuit — and 40 minutes later eventually rounded up the runaway; returning him to the circus and a lifetime of animal therapy.
ZEBRA FINE AFTER PLAYING IN TRAFFIC
The Atlanta Journal Constitution confirmed the green news story and reports:
The zebra that created a stir in Atlanta when he broke loose from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus area late Thursday afternoon is at UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine and is fine.
Circus spokeswoman Crystal Drake says several vets examined Lima on Thursday, and he was taken to UGA on Friday for a full, comprehensive exam. Authorities found his hooves were damaged from running along the pavement, but officials say he’s fine otherwise.
The zebra drew double takes when he led an epic sprint through downtown Atlanta Thursday, bolting through streets for 40 minutes before authorities captured him safely along Interstate 75.
MORE ABOUT THE ESCAPED ZEBRA
Daily Progress reports:
A circus zebra escaped an enclosure and joined rush-hour traffic on the interstate that runs through downtown Atlanta.
“All of a sudden a freaking zebra comes running down the street like a car,” witness Daniel Nance told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Five or six police cars were in hot pursuit. And a bunch of officers on foot. But then I got scared, thinking … what else is loose?”
Nothing else was loose — except pedal-to-the-metal commuters eager to get home on a Thursday afternoon.
ZEBRA THAT MADE A BREAK FOR IT FROM THE CIRCUS OR TO ROAM THE STREETS OF ATLANTA
According to the source:
The zebra named Lima led police on a mile-long chase before they were able to herd him down an exit where his handler was waiting to capture him. Other than some cuts on his hoofs, the animal was unharmed.
As were the commuters, who could have swerved or braked into a chain-reaction crash.
Strangely enough, it’s not the first time a zebra has been on the loose in Atlanta. A couple of years ago, a 2- to 3-month-old zebra was found injured along the interstate. Officials surmised it had fallen off a truck and then been hit by a car.
The baby — who came to be named “Evidence” because that’s how police referred to him — was rushed to the veterinary school at Auburn University in Alabama, where he underwent several operations. He now lives at a Georgia animal sanctuary.
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Zebra gets loose from Barnum and Bailey Circus
