The missing zebra, a Western Washington sensation, was found Friday night near North Bend after nearly a week on the loose.
The mare, whose name – “Shug” – was publicly revealed Friday, escaped from her owner’s trailer April 28 in North Bend along with three other zebras. The three were quickly corralled while Shug continued to roam, attract all kinds of attention, and likely walk hundreds of miles while never getting very far.
Shug, misidentified as a stallion for much of the week, was spotted and recovered just before 8 p.m. in the Riverbend community south of North Bend.
The details weren’t all in hand late Friday, said Cameron Satterfield, spokesperson for Regional Animal Services of King County. But somehow, a group of ordinary folks along with animal control officers got the zebra into a pen. Then, a trailer.
“She looks pretty healthy,” said Satterfield.
Zebras eat mostly grass and leaves, so Shug probably did fine in that regard, and maybe found water at Rattlesnake Lake, Satterfield said.
“We’ve all had to become zebra experts” over the last days, Satterfield said.
There may be a news conference Saturday to convey more details, Satterfield said, but Shug will not be attending. It’s apparently time to finish the trip to Montana, where the four zebras were headed before they escaped Sunday.
The owner was moving the animals from Winlock, in Lewis County, Washington, to Anaconda, Montana, when she stopped near Exit 32 on Interstate 90, to fix a problem with the trailer, according to Regional Animal Services. When she went to secure the trailer, all four zebras bolted. Three were re-captured in a few hours.
The fourth, affectionately dubbed “Z” by amused, worried and fascinated residents, made her way around the foothills of the Cascades. People caught glimpses, posted memes, and made dozens of calls to animal services, and more to 911, to report sightings.
But now, with the search for Z concluded, we say goodbye to Shug.
©2024 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
