Five zebras that escaped from a Maryland farm nearly a month ago are still on the loose.
They got away Aug. 31 from a private farm near Upper Marlboro, about 20 miles southeast of Washington, D.C., NBC Washington reported.
Prince George’s County animal control officials said the caretakers have been trying to lure the animals into a fenced feeding area ever since. Zebras have to be corralled to be captured, not chased.
Three of the animals have been traveling together while the other two have been in a pair, officials said.
Residents have been sharing stories of zebra sightings on social media. Joshua DuBois, who worked for the White House during the Obama administration, tweeted Sept. 19 that he and his wife dressed up their three children in zebra-print outfits to go “zebra hunting.” He shared a video and photos of when they found the animals.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton — who represents Washington in Congress — joked in a Sept. 10 statement that despite her general support for freedom and her recent opposition to fences, referring to the fences around the U.S. Capitol, she was not responsible for setting the zebras free.
Rodney Taylor, who heads the county’s animal services division, said people who see the loose zebras should not approach them or try to pet them.
“They’re not going to chase you down,” Taylor said, according to The Washington Post. “But they are zebras, so they’re not handled by people a lot, so to defend themselves they could bite.”
