The Internet’s Favorite Zebra is Finally Caught After Wild Week-Long Escape Through Tennessee
From galloping down highways to going viral as a meme, Ed’s wild adventure took the internet by storm
Ed, a runaway pet zebra who was on the loose in Tennessee for over a week, was captured on Sunday, June 8. During his hiatus, Ed became an internet sensation and a popular meme.
Ed the zebra was captured after being located near a subdivision in Christiana, Tenn., according to CNN. “Ed was airlifted and flown by helicopter back to a waiting animal trailer,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Who is Ed the Zebra?
Taylor and Laura Ford of Rutherford, Tenn. bought the zebra one day before it escaped, according to News Channel 5 Nashville. The couple’s 115-acre farm was already home to bison, alpacas, cattle and other farm animals before purchasing Ed, according to The Tennessean.
@peytonkennedytv THE TENNESSEE ZEBRA IS SAVED #missingzebra #edthezebra
His fascination with owning a zebra began two years prior, according to The Tennessean, when he saw “two live zebras at the end of the driveway at a Nashville property.” While the couple declined to say how much they paid for their newest pet, they can range anywhere for $3,000 to $10,000 and live up to 25 years, The Tennessean reports.
How did Ed escape in the first place?
The runaway zebra was first spotted in Christiana in Rutherford County on May 30, running along Interstate 24. He had escaped after just 15 hours at the Ford’s farm. The couple suspect the zebra made his exit through a fence on the edge of their property.
Once Ed was spotted on the loose, authorities shut down the highway, but Ed soon escaped into a wooded area, making it difficult to capture him, according to CNN.
In the following week, Ed was seen around Christiana, Tenn., galloping through neighborhoods and along roads. Onlookers took videos of the rare sight and posted them to social media. The videos gained traction fast, and soon, Ed became the most famous zebra in the world.
Why a tranquilizer or lasso wasn’t an option
However funny and outrageous Ed’s escape was, capturing the zebra was no laughing matter. In an interview with News Channel 5 Nashville, the Fords said that “about every cowboy in middle Tennessee” offered to help the couple by lassoing Ed, like they would a horse. That option was ruled out for safety reasons. A tranquilizer dart was also off the table in fear that Ed would run for minutes after he was hit, and potentially end up in the road.
Instead, the couple hired a Texas-based team to get Ed home safely. The professionals chased the zebra through the woods on a four-wheeler, pushing him into an open field where a helicopter picked Ed up in a net.
Ed returned to the Fords’ property unharmed but an internet sensation. Fake photos of Ed in a helicopter, Waffle House and firetruck circulated social media as people poked fun at the zebra’s lengthy, bizarre adventure. An Instagram account was even created in honor of Ed, @ed_the_zebra. The account has 205 followers and a bio that says, “You’ll never catch me SUCKAS.” The zebra’s successful capture was even announced at the Country Music Association Festival in Nashville and fans cheered as photos of Ed were shown on the massive stage.
On Monday, Ed and a female zebra, also owned by the Fords, were taken to a temporary “and more secure location,” according to The Tennessean.
From a highway sprint to a helicopter ride and a star turn at CMA Fest, Ed’s wild week proves one thing: in Tennessee, even zebras know how to make an entrance—and an exit.
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