Zebra That Fled From Circus Shot Dead By Police For Causing Traffic And 'Material Damage'

A zebra that escaped circus got stranded in the midst of a road was later shot dead by police for causing traffic collision on a highway in northern Germany. The incident took place on Oct. 2, Wednesday.

Two zebras reportedly eloped the circus near the northeastern town of Tessin early Wednesday and froze in the middle of the highway causing traffic hubbub and “material damage”, CNN reported police as saying.

One of the zebras spotted on a highway around 8 a.m., local time was allegedly the reason behind a collision between two cars driving next to each other.

According to a DW report, when one car halted to avoid the animal, the other car collided into it. Everybody, including the zebra, escaped without injuries but the highway was closed temporarily, police informed.

The police also said in a press release that the zebra’s escape and a wild run called for “a large police deployment”.

The drivers were notified through a Twitter post by the police department about the runaway zebra, CNN reported.

According to the police, despite doing every possible effort to captivate the zebra, it escaped somehow and ran wildly damaging a passenger car as it climbed over the engine hood at full throttle. A patrol car was also damaged and a policeman ended up being injured in the process.

The animal was going in the wrong direction on the autobahn from Tessin to Rostock," DW reported a police spokesperson said.

The zebra reportedly ventured into a field close by after a short while. The circus trainer, who specifically trained the zebra, was summoned to tame it but in vain. The emergency animal rescue unit of the fire department was called subsequently and they shot the zebra dead near the town of Thelkow. Police also revealed that it died on the spot.

People on Twitter, condemning this rapid judgment, told the police they should have stunned the zebra instead of killing it. According to a press release by police, "The exact circumstances of the shooting are still being probed."