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| Sero, a three-year-old zebra, trots by surprised bystanders in an eastern Seoul residential area after escaping from a nearby zoo on Thursday in this photo provided by a local resident. Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
The sad story of the three-year-old zebra, Sero, is drawing belated public attention after news about his escape from a zoo made headlines.
According to zoo officials and fire authorities, Sero escaped from the zoo inside Seoul Children's Grand Park in eastern Seoul by breaking a wooden deck installed around his pen at around 2:50 p.m. on Thursday.
After roaming around the nearby residential area, Sero was captured safely in the street located about one kilometer away from the zoo after being tranquilized. He was brought back to the zoo at around 6:10 p.m.
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| Police, fire and zoo officials try to capture Sero, a three-year-old zebra, in an eastern Seoul residential district after his escape from a nearby zoo on Thursday in this photo provided by a local resident. Yonhap |
After the deaths of his parents, Sero became more and more aggressive, even fighting with a kangaroo that lives in the zoo, and he often refused to return to his pen.
His keepers made consistent efforts to provide special attention to the young zebra at that time and thanks to those efforts, he appeared to make a recovery.
As a result, his escape shocked not only members of the public but also the zoo keepers.
Zoo officials said the keepers have been checking Sero regularly since he was returned to the zoo.
"Sero seems to be okay so far," an official from the zoo said. "Considering that he has not shown any violent behavior, we believe there is only a low possibility of him escaping again."
As part of measures to prevent Sero from escaping again, the keepers plan to bring in a female zebra next year to live in the same pen with the soon-to-be stallion.
"The female zebra is currently living with her parents as she is still too young," the official said. "We expect her to provide emotional stability to Sero next year."
The zoo is also planning to refurbish Sero's pen by changing the wooden deck to one made of iron and making it higher to keep him, and eventually his new zebra mare friend, safely inside.
A number of warm comments for the runaway zebra were spotted in online communities.
Most comments expressed happiness at Sero's safe return and hope that he will be able to stay healthy and strong despite his life in captivity.
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