Back in the beginning of the September 2021, three zebras escaped from a farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. One of them was tragically caught in an illegal snare and died on September 16; the other two have continued to roaming freely through the state. A friend of mine who lives in Maryland tells me that the zebra epic has been the biggest news story in the entire state — which, it being Maryland, is not particularly surprising.
State officials from the Maryland Department of the Environment have recently announced a new plan to help recapture the striped equines: more zebras. From WUSA9:
Officials say the owner and caretaker have taken two zebras from the herd and are keeping them in an enclosure in the center of a corral. The hope is that by utilizing food and the other zebras, the loose zebras will return to the corral and the herd.
[…]
Veterinarians and officials believe this plan is the best approach for successfully capturing the loose zebras.
I suppose the logic there is sound, but "loosing more zebras into Maryland" still sounds like a weird choice. But even if it fails, the African plains animals can apparently survive and even thrive in cold winter weather — and I, for one, think "snow zebras" sounds pretty cool.
Officials hope to capture loose zebras with new plan involving even more zebras [Alanea Cremen / WUSA9]
