North Bend, Wash. — It’s been a wild couple of days for the people of North Bend. Sunday afternoon, four zebras escaped from a trailer that was passing through the area. The owner of the zebras, Kristine Keltgen, told KIRO 7 that she pulled over to fix a floor mat that was dragging in the horse trailer. When she pulled over to fix it, the four zebras bolted out of the trailer and ran off.
“I need help! Like help! Bring ropes before they take off!” Keltgen said was the first thing that came to mind when the zebras escaped. Luckily none of them ran into the road and weren’t hurt. A lot of people stepped in to help, including David Danton, a former rodeo bullfighter.
“I’m like zebras! Not every day you get that phone call,” Danton said. Keltgen told KIRO 7 that she had picked up the zebras from a private home in Winlock, WA. She was taking them back home with her to Anaconda, MT, where she and her son run a small private petting zoo. Keltgen said she is grateful that so many people like Danton stepped in to help.
“We’re cowboys and we help other people so let’s take a left and found ourselves on a zebra roundup,” Danton said. Three of the four zebras were captured but as of Monday evening, the stallion, named Z, was still on the loose.
“I wouldn’t approach it because as soon as you do it’s going to run off and get lost again so if it’s in your backyard let it eat, let it rest, and let somebody know right away,” Danton said. Z was spotted in the area Monday morning near the property where the three other zebras spent the night. Keltgen is hopeful he’ll be caught soon.
“He’s at the barn he’s actually not running off and they’re just trying to coax him with some treats and he likes bread,” she said. If you see the zebra, call 911 or King County Regional Animal Services.