Latest news with #KennethBarrett
USA Today
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Zebra in Tennessee captured after more than a week on the run: Watch video
Zebra in Tennessee captured after more than a week on the run: Watch video Show Caption Hide Caption Viral zebra hitches a ride to safety after escape Social media users have been following Ed the zebra's escapades for over a week. The celebrity animal has finally been rescued. Ed, the runaway zebra in Tennessee, who became the talk of the town, or rather the country, and sparked a barrage of memes has been caught after being on the loose for more than a week. The striped equid, nicknamed 'Ed' by the social media users tracking his escapades," was finally captured in a field in Christiana, about 45 miles south of Nashville, the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said in a post on Facebook, adding "Ed was airlifted and flown by helicopter back to a waiting animal trailer." News Channel 5 reported the zebra was hit with a tranquilizer dart and strapped in before it was airlifted via helicopter to be returned to captivity and seen by a veterinarian. Video footage from the rescue operation shows the zebra, wrapped in net with just his head poking out, soaring through the air, as he is carried by the helicopter. Video shows zebra being airlifted after capture Multiple agencies including the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency were involved in the operation, the sheriff's office said, and deputies were on standby for the safety of nearby residents. We've got every viral moment covered: Sign up for USA TODAY's Everyone's Talking newsletter. How did the pet zebra escape? And when? The exact details surrounding the pet zebra's escape, including when, where and how the ordeal began, are not immediately clear. The pet zebra belonged to a couple who told law enforcement they "obtained the zebra Friday night, which escaped the following day." How long had Ed been on the loose? 'Ed' had been on the run since May 31, just a day after it arrived at its new home in Christiana. In the days since its escape, the zebra was spotted wandering around various neighborhoods and even "wreaked havoc" on a parkway near Interstate 24 in the city of Murfreesboro, so much so "deputies had to close the interstate because the zebra was running through traffic on both sides of the highway," Rutherford County Sheriff's Office Lt. Kenneth Barrett had said. Ed then "escaped into a wooded area and disappeared" until he was spotted again on June 5. Law enforcement officials had been tracking the zebra's whereabouts with a drone. Is it legal to own a zebra in Tennessee? As surprising as it may sounds, it is legal to own a zebra as a pet in Tennessee, according to The Tennessean. Zebras are classified as Class III animals that do not require any special permits. Other unusual animals that can be legally owned in the state include ferrets and chinchillas, llamas, alpacas, giraffes, bison, antelopes and marsupials like kangaroos. Contributing: Amaris Encinas, Natalie Neysa Alund and Hadley Hitson, USA TODAY / Austin Hornbostel, The Tennessean
Indianapolis Star
02-06-2025
- General
- Indianapolis Star
Pet zebra wreaks 'havoc' on Tennessee interstate after escape
Dodging vehicles and narrowly missing being hit, a pet zebra ran into traffic along a busy greater Nashville interstate over the weekend, officials said. As of June 2, the zebra remained missing, a Rutherford County dispatcher told USA TODAY. The zebra broke loose on Saturday, May 31 "wreaking havoc" on Interstate 24 near Joe B. Jackson Parkway in Rutherford County, Sheriff's Office Lt. Kenneth Barrett reported. The parkway about 35 miles south of downtown Nashville in the city of Murfreesboro, a booming town home to Middle Tennessee State University, the largest undergraduate university in The Volunteer State. "Sheriff's deputies had to close the interstate because the zebra was running through traffic on both sides of the highway," Barrett said. Officials later reopened the highway after the zebra disappeared into the woods. The following day a patrol deputy snapped a photo of the zebra still on the loose. Presidential protector: Watch military dog who protected Trump, Biden reunite with handler According to the sheriff's office, the zebra escaped into a wooded area off Interstate 24 between Joe B. Jackson Parkway and the Epps Mill Road exits Saturday afternoon. The parkway is a busy throughfare with scores of businesses and other establishments lining it. According to a press release from the sheriff's office, Cpl. Zach Campbell the zebra belonged to a couple who he interviewed the night it escaped. The owners, law enforcement reported, "obtained the zebra Friday night." It escaped the following day. It was not immediately known whether the zebra was injured, how it escaped or where it escaped from. While the Library of Congress says zebras' "unpredictable nature and tendency to attack preclude them from being good candidates for domestication," it is legal to own one in Tennessee, the Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network reported. Along with llamas, camels, and giraffes, Tennessee categorizes zebras as Class III animals so they do not require special permits or paperwork to be kept as pets. USA TODAY has reached out to the sheriff's office. Anyone who spots the zebra is asked to not approach it and call the sheriff's office at 615-898-7770.
USA Today
02-06-2025
- USA Today
Pet zebra wreaks 'havoc' on Tennessee interstate after escape
Pet zebra wreaks 'havoc' on Tennessee interstate after escape Dodging vehicles and narrowly missing being hit, a pet zebra ran into traffic along a busy greater Nashville interstate over the weekend, officials said. As of June 2, the zebra remained missing, a Rutherford County dispatcher told USA TODAY. The zebra broke loose on Saturday, May 31 "wreaking havoc" on Interstate 24 near Joe B. Jackson Parkway in Rutherford County, Sheriff's Office Lt. Kenneth Barrett reported. The parkway about 35 miles south of downtown Nashville in the city of Murfreesboro, a booming town home to Middle Tennessee State University, the largest undergraduate university in The Volunteer State. "Sheriff's deputies had to close the interstate because the zebra was running through traffic on both sides of the highway," Barrett said. Officials later reopened the highway after the zebra disappeared into the woods. The following day a patrol deputy snapped a photo of the zebra still on the loose. Presidential protector: Watch military dog who protected Trump, Biden reunite with handler Where was the zebra in Murfreesboro last seen? According to the sheriff's office, the zebra escaped into a wooded area off Interstate 24 between Joe B. Jackson Parkway and the Epps Mill Road exits Saturday afternoon. The parkway is a busy throughfare with scores of businesses and other establishments lining it. According to a press release from the sheriff's office, Cpl. Zach Campbell the zebra belonged to a couple who he interviewed the night it escaped. The owners, law enforcement reported, "obtained the zebra Friday night." It escaped the following day. It was not immediately known whether the zebra was injured, how it escaped or where it escaped from. Is it legal to have a pet zebra in Tennessee? While the Library of Congress says zebras' "unpredictable nature and tendency to attack preclude them from being good candidates for domestication," it is legal to own one in Tennessee, the Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network reported. Along with llamas, camels, and giraffes, Tennessee categorizes zebras as Class III animals so they do not require special permits or paperwork to be kept as pets. USA TODAY has reached out to the sheriff's office. Anyone who spots the zebra is asked to not approach it and call the sheriff's office at 615-898-7770. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
