Internet goes wild for escaped zebra

Zebras run wild near freeway in Washington state

A motorist found himself facing four zebras on the loose in North Bend, Washington, on Sunday, April 28. Video from Garrett Akol shows the zebras running in between cars down 436th Avenue near Interstate 90. "We are here in North Bend and somebody has lost their zebras," Akol says. As of May 3, one of the zebras was still on the run.

NORTH BEND, Wash. - Three days after four zebras escaped from a trailer in North Bend, one remains on the loose, and local businesses and organizations are having a field day online as the search continues.

On April 28, the zebras got out on I-90 when the driver hauling their trailer stopped to fix the hookup. They were heading east to Montana.

Three were captured soon after, but everyone is captivated by the elusive fourth zebra.

Many people online are using AI to put the zebra in absurd situations, and FOX 13 may or may not have jumped on the trend.

FOX 13 decided to jump on the fun-- here we have the "North Bend Zebra" in our newsroom! [photo created via AI]

Dick's got in on the fun and posted the "zebra" at one of its locations.

Big Foot Java posted on Facebook: "who ordered ‘The Zebra?’" and showed a cold white beverage with chocolate syrup stripes. It's unclear if they're actually selling the zebra drink.

BigFoot Java - The Zebra

Even wineries and cideries are jumping on the unfolding saga, like Thrall & Dodge Winery in Ellensburg and Sisters' Cider House on Bainbridge Island.

But they aren't the only ones: even auto businesses and roofing companies are taking part in the fun.

One government agency even chimed in:

"The teams at @WaDNR are always working to make sure our wildlife have healthy habitat. While this one was an unexpected challenge, we wanted to make sure that our new zebra friend felt comfortable for however long their stay in Washington ends up being," the Washington Department of Natural Resources posted on X, featuring a photo of "zebra-striped forest trees."

Capturing escaped zebra

At this time, there are no plans by the Regional Animal Shelter King County (RASKC) to organize a large, formal search operation for the zebra. They say the area that would need to be covered is too large, and some of the terrain in the foothills of the Cascades would pose a danger to humans on foot.

Also, since typical spring weather is expected to prevail in the area for the next few days, there is little concern about extreme temperatures being a factor in the zebra's well-being.

RASKC has received numerous offers of help from animal search and rescue organizations, drone pilots, and other volunteers. They will be reaching out to those people if they are needed.

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Authorities in King County continue to search for a zebra that escaped from a trailer traveling near I-90 in North Bend on Sunday afternoon. (Washington State Patrol)