March 14, 2023 During a bizarre call in Circleville, Pickaway County sheriff’s deputies confronted and fatally shot an aggressively acting zebra that had bitten the arm of its owner.
By Mitchell Willetts Source The Charlotte Observer Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Police shot and killed a zebra after it bit a man’s arm off in an attack in Ohio, authorities told news outlets.
Deputies with the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office responded to an address in Circleville — roughly 27 miles south of Columbus — at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 12, WCMH reported. The owner of a zebra had been attacked and bitten by the animal.
When first responders arrived at the scene to help the man, the zebra continued to act aggressively, the sheriff’s office told WBNS.
A deputy tried to scare off the zebra using an air horn, but the animal wouldn’t stay away, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
At one point, body camera video shows the zebra approaching and a deputy opened fire with a shotgun, hitting the animal in the head, killing it, according to WCMH.
It’s not clear what caused the zebra to attack, though the sheriff’s office said it’s possible it was feeling protective of several female zebras that were in the same field, The Dispatch reported.
The owner was taken to a hospital for treatment, the sheriff’s office told WBNS. His injuries were not life-threatening, according to The Disptach.