Zebras are seen at La Ponderosa Adventure Park in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
Photo Ezequiel Becerra / AFP / Getty
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Photo Ezequiel Becerra / AFP / Getty
Zebras are seen at La Ponderosa Adventure Park in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
Photo Ezequiel Becerra / AFP / Getty
Two Maryland Zebras escaped from a farm in mid-August returned to their herd.
In a statement obtained by NPR, the Department of the Environment Prince George County, Md., said that the roaming zebras returned last week, but officials did not give details on when or how. recover.
Officials said neither the U.S. Department of Agriculture nor Prince George County animal services were involved in the return of the zebra.
Linda Lowe, a spokeswoman for the Prince George County Department of the Environment, said county officials will continue the ongoing investigation and will take appropriate legal action regarding the owner’s alleged violations. own zebra.
In October, Jerry Holly, owner of zebras, was charged with three counts of cruelty to animals after one of the three zebras that escaped was reported to have found dead in a trap trap.
Holly, owner of an exotic animal breeding business in Upper Marlboro, Md., about 20 miles southeast of Washington DC, allegedly caused and allowed “a zebra to suffer unnecessary pain or suffering,” according to court documents obtained by NPR .
Holly was also charged with failing to provide adequate shelter or food.
According to Lauren Moses, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police, the dead zebra was found on private property in Upper Marlboro on September 16.
According to Moses, officers arrived at the property and discovered – in a trap near a field – a dead zebra, which officials believe was one of the zebras that had been freed.
An investigation by WAMU found that inspections of Holly’s properties in Maryland and Florida had repeatedly shown the fence to be unsuitable.
In 2013, Holly was fined more than $12,000 by the United States Department of Agriculture for violating the Animal Welfare Act, including keeping dangerous animals in captivity.
After three zebras escaped from a herd legally owned by Holly on August 26, residents across the Washington, DC suburbs, posted photos and videos of their sightings.
Becky Sullivan of NPR contributed to this report.
