Four zebras were found on the loose just off Interstate 90 along North Bend Sunday afternoon, said Officer Rick Johnson, a Washington State Patrol spokesman.
As of Sunday evening, the two animals had been returned to the trailer and the baby zebra had been “enclosed,” Johnson said. The fourth was still outstanding.
The zebra headed off Interstate 90 toward the town of North Bend. Johnson said the animals were thrown out when the driver stopped to secure the trailer near Exit 32.
“The community has come together to help,” Johnson said in a post on website X.
Johnson said the driver was taking the zebra to Montana, but he didn't know why.
Laura Fisher was driving 110 mph on Interstate 90 with her son when she noticed the trailer door in front of her flapping in the wind. At first they thought the trailer was empty, but then they saw a zebra nervously approaching the edge.
“Our main concern was that they would be 70 years old and jump off the trailer and possibly die and cause major problems for other drivers,” she said.
Fearing for their safety, Fischer and his son quickly tried to escape from behind the zebra. They saw another person at a traffic light instructing the tractor-trailer driver to pull over, which she did.
A King County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said animal control professionals were on scene assisting. The sheriff's office could not elaborate on how the zebra escaped.
