Clever animals make a break during repair stop.

While traveling to a petting zoo in Anaconda, MT, on April 28, a group of four zebras escaped transport when the driver  stopped along I-90 north of Bend to secure a floor mat that had come loose and was dragging behind her vehicle. The zebras seized their chance at freedom and made a break toward traffic, later diverging onto multiple residential roads. Residents and passersby were able to work together using makeshift fencing and walls to successfully coax three out of the four animals into trailers and horse pens in the area.

The fourth and final zebra was not safely secured until six days after the initial grand escapade. Going by the name Shug, the final zebra was victim to multiple sightings by trail cameras and eyewitnesses. The animal seemed to stick mainly to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail in the Boxle Creek Natural Area. Luckily, by all accounts, Shug seemed to be doing well. 

The afternoon of Friday, May 3 brought the safe return of Shug, who was finally apprehended by local animal control and transported to Montana.

By Liam Collier