Zebra shot dead after escaping from circus in Germany, causing traffic accident
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A runaway zebra was shot dead on a highway after bolting from a circus in Germany and causing a traffic accident in addition to "property damage," according to officials.
The Rostock Police said in a news release the two zebras escaped early Wednesday from a circus near Tessin, located in the northeastern part of the country.
One of the zebras was captured around 4:45 a.m., but the other – named Pumba – disappeared for several hours.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Around 8 a.m., Pumba was spotted on the A20 highway near Tessin, where it had caused a traffic accident involving two vehicles.
"The animal was going in the wrong direction on the autobahn from Tessin to Rostock," a police spokesperson told German news outlet Deutsche Welle.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}No one was injured in the accident, including the zebra, but the highway was temporarily closed as authorities investigated the accident and attempted to subdue the animal.
A zebra that ran away from a circus stands in front of a police car on the A20 motorway near Ticino, Germany on Wednesday. (Tilo Wallrodt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Officials said they tried to bring the animal under control but were "unsuccessful" — Pumba was able to escape from the A20 by running over a car's engine hood.
A patrol officer vehicle was damaged during the incident, and a police officer sustained minor injuries when trying to catch the animal.
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Shortly after, the Zebra was spotted again in a field between Kowalz and Thelkow.
A runaway zikus zebra stands on a field while a man with a stun gun tries to approach the animal in Thelkow, eastern Germany, Wednesday, Oct.2, 2019. (Bernd Wuestneck/dpa via AP)
"The circus tamer responsible for the animal then also tried in vain to bring the zebra under control," police said in a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Emergency rescue workers from a fire brigade also joined in the efforts to try to catch the zebra before it was fatally shot.
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The animal died on the spot, police said.
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It's not known how the animals escaped from the circus, but authorities said the exact circumstances of the incident "are still being clarified." A Rostock city spokesperson claimed the use of a tranquilizer dart was not an option since the animal was "uncontainable" and posed a threat.
The killing has sparked outrage in Germany, with some saying there was no danger present, according to The Guardian.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"There was no danger,” resident Petra Melchin told Die Welt. “He was exhausted, his head was down.”