WASHINGTON, Dec 15, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - Two zebras that had been on the run
for months in the countryside outside Washington, DC, have finally been
caught, an official said Tuesday.

   The pair had escaped from an exotic animal farm in Maryland at the end of
August and eluded numerous attempts to capture them, their escapade
enthralling local residents and media.

   But after repeatedly thwarting the authorities, the quadrupeds have been
snagged, said Richard Bell of the US Department of Agriculture, without
providing any further details.

   Prince George's County, where the pair had been running free, announced
several weeks ago that it planned to use "food and other zebras" to try to
lure the striped fugitives back to the exotic animal farm.

   The affair had been documented on social media by bemused residents, but
the saga took a sad turn when a third zebra that had escaped with the others
died after being caught in an illegal snare.

   Their owner, Jerry Holly, owns a large farm with a herd of around 30
zebras. He is facing charges of cruelty to animals after yet another zebra
was found dead on his property in October, local media said.

   The possession of exotic animals, a phenomenon highlighted in the hit
Netflix series "Tiger King," is allowed in some US states.