At Least 6 Zebras Are on the Loose in Maryland After Escaping From a Local Farm, Officials Say
FOX 5 Washington DC/YouTube
A group of at least six zebras is on the loose in a Maryland community after breaking free from a private farm last week, reports NBC4.
Six zebras were spotted by an NBC4 helicopter on Tuesday while grazing in a field near the town of Upper Marlboro.
Chief Rodney Taylor of Prince George's County Animal Control told WUSA9 that the legally-owned animals escaped from a farm in the area and have been on the loose for several days.
On Aug. 31, police received a call about at least one zebra running in front of a vehicle along Croom Road.
Layla Curling of Upper Marlboro told NBC4 that she did a double-take when she caught a glimpse of a zebra in her backyard two days later while looking out a window in her home.
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"I thought it was a deer for a second, and then I saw it was a zebra — a whole zebra right next to our playground right next to the fence," she explained. "So, I ran upstairs to get a better look up there, and then I said, 'Mom, there's, like, a zebra outside our playground,' and she didn't believe me and said I was crazy.
Her mother, Alexis Reed Curling, confirmed that three zebras had entered their yard. She called 311 and said the dispatcher "thought I was crazy."
"She paused for a long minute. I said, 'Ma'am, I am not drinking. I have not had any drugs. I have zebras in my backyard walking on the train tracks," she told NBC4. "I just wanted to know what service could come out because I didn't want them to get hit, and she paused for a long time and then said, 'OK, here's the number.' "
Paul Curling, Layla's father, shared a video of the zebras roaming their property with FOX 5 DC.
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"I thought maybe you know she's been in the house too long or she's having a fever or something. So she says, 'I'm gonna send you a video,' " he told the outlet.
"One of my first thoughts was, 'Well, maybe somebody had a birthday party, and they painted some horses for some four-year-olds or something because there's no way in the world some zebras could be here in upper Marlboro just roaming around like deers,' " the Maryland dad added.
Additional reports about the zebras' whereabouts were made on Tuesday, per NBC4.
The animals are now congregated in a local field where animal control has put together a feeding station that will hopefully allow officers to corral the animals.
