A runaway zebra that became an internet sensation has been safely recaptured, US officials have said.
Ed the pet zebra was on the loose for more than a week before being found in a pasture in Christiana, a small community in central Tennessee, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
In a statement, the office said that Ed “was airlifted and flown by helicopter back to a waiting animal trailer” on Sunday.
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A video posted by the sheriff’s office showed Ed caught in a net with his head sticking out as he was carried by helicopter to an animal trailer.
Ed originally arrived in Christiana, which is around 40 miles southeast of Nashville, on 30 May, but his owner reported him missing the next day.
During his time on the run, Ed was seen on Interstate 24 – a major route which runs from southern Illinois to southern Tennessee – “scampering across the highways in both the eastbound and westbound lanes”.
But before he could be grabbed, “he escaped into a wooded area and disappeared until being spotted Thursday,” the sheriff’s office said.
There were several sightings of him posted to social media, among them Ed trotting around a local neighbourhood.
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His adventures sparked a host of memes, including Ed eating waffles, a southern US favourite, while others had him visiting other Tennessee cities or begging on the side of the road.
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Ed’s 15 minutes of fame came a month after a runaway kangaroo shut down a section of a different Interstate in Alabama, inadvertently causing a two-car crash, before being caught.
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The sheriff’s office thanked the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency for their help in the “successful rescue”.
