Georgia Police Locates Man Who Slapped ‘Friendly’ Zebra At Safari

Georgia police were able to locate a man who was caught on camera slapping a zebra after the animal slid its head into his car during an animal safari.

The assailant was at the Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari Monday (June 29) when the incident occurred. He shared a video of the encounter on his Snapchat, which he runs under the username ‘Yungmal_15.’

Troup County Sheriff’s Office had earlier asked the public to help track the suspect, noting that his actions were “shared and observed on the social media platform SnapChat.”

“So apparently a recent visitor to the Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari thought it would be funny during the tour to smack a friendly Zebra in the face after he rolled the window down and the animal put their head in the car to say hello,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement posted on Facebook. “Abuse of any animals from a dog to a zebra will not be tolerated and we are looking for the identity of this individual.”

In a follow-up post, Tuesday (June 30), authorities said the zebra abuser was identified by investigators. They, however, didn’t mention the man’s name on the post.

It was also not known if the alleged perpetrator is likely to face charges.

In March 2017, a crocodile at the Belvedere Zoo in Tunisia was stoned to death by a group of visitors. Zoo officials said the tourists used heavy-weight objects like a paving slab and a large rock to hit the reptile in the head causing it to have an internal hemorrhage which led to its death. Authorities at the zoo posted pictures of the animal’s blood-covered head on Facebook, adding that it was just one of many instances of “savage behavior” showcased by visitors. The zoo veterinarian Amor Ennaifer said at that time that visitors tend to assault animals in various ways, including pelting stones at lions and hippos.