Sero the zebra back in zoo after roaming Seoul streets for 3 hours

A zebra that escaped from the Seoul Children’s Grand Park zoo at around 2:40 p.m. on Thursday was captured in the streets of Seoul after roaming around the city for three hours.

The zebra, named Sero, who was born at the zoo in 2021, broke free from his enclosure after smashing down wooden fences around his cage. He strolled down a ten-lane road outside the zoo and entered the urban area.

The zoo authorities reported Sero’s escape to the fire authorities at 2:43 p.m.

The police, fire and zoo authorities were running around behind the zebra, according to a jewelry store owner situated on one of the streets nearby the commotion. Sero ran around 700 meters (0.4 miles) down the road before cruising into a residential area.

“I was walking my dog after lunch when we came across the zebra. We hid under a parked car when it came toward us,” one 61-year-old resident said.

Officials managed to surround Sero with safety fences and nets. At 4:40 p.m., they shot him with two tranquilizer darts, but Sero stood still at a street corner. Sero eventually went down after taking six tranquilizer shots and was returned to the zoo, covered in a gray blanket and held down by six officials on a truck around 6 p.m.

Sero is not a yes-zebra, according to his handlers. The zoo has posted footage of Sero refusing to go into his house and picking a fight with a kangaroo, saying that his rebellious period began after his parents passed away.

BY CHOI SEO-IN,KIM MIN-JEONG [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]