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Unexpected And Weird Animal Sightings Confuse Suburban Maryland Residents

Uncategorized Nov 1, 2021

Unexpected And Weird Animal Sightings Confuse Suburban Maryland Residents

Have you ever seen animals in your backyard that were not supposed to be there? If you are from suburban Maryland, you probably have heard about the sightings of unexpected animals that some of the residents reported.

On August 31, residents found striped animals roaming freely in their backyard. As it turned out, some of the zebras have escaped from a private farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. This would be the first time for many of the residents to see such animals up close and personal.

Local resident Layla Curling of Upper Marlboro, Maryland said, “I thought my mind was playing tricks on me.”

Rodney Taylor, chief of the Prince George’s County Animal Services Division, added, “When I first heard about it I was like, ‘OK, you’ve got to be kidding me, right? Zebras?’” He added, “They’re not going to chase you down. But they are zebras, so they’re not handled by people a lot, so to defend themselves they could bite.”

These runaway zebras became tricky to catch. Zebras can run fast if they feel threatened. The animal’s instinct to flee made it challenging for the animal control officials to chase after them. Instead, they tried to lure them into a corral with yummy snacks of grain.

And while they are busy trying to catch the zebras, Maryland residents were also busy taking to social media to share their encounters with the zebras. And of course, many of them have questions that need answers.

Some wondered how these animals could’ve run away from the farm. While others are questioning how this farm got zebras in the first place. But according to reports, it is legal to own zebras as long as the owners have a permit from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Others are also concerned about what could happen if the zebras are never caught? And how about the extreme weather down here. Would the zebras be able to survive the North American winter?

Well, according to Rachel Kurzius of DCist, zebras can survive harsh weather conditions. In fact, some zebras in Africa have been known to thrive on the high slopes of Mount Kenya. While others prefer to migrate to warmer climates as soon as the temperature drops.

Zoologist David Rubenstein of Princeton University explained: “As with most equids, they have a winter coat. It’ll thicken and keep them warm. They have a high metabolism and as long as they have enough food, that’ll serve as fuel and generate heat to keep them warm.”

There are plenty of grasslands in Maryland. Zebras can thrive freely since there are no known natural predators. So for those who were concerned if these zebras could survive on their own, yes they would.

And also, do the zebras pose any threat to the residents?

Like animals that are prone to running away from danger, they most likely shouldn’t present any danger to people in case they stumble across them. Still, animal experts warned to keep a safe distance from them just to be sure.

According to the local news station, these animals escaped a private game farm. The police have been receiving calls about them starting on August 31st. And according to the animal control officials the zebras are legally owned and had only escaped the farm.