Two zebras escaped from a circus in West Philadelphia on Sunday, leading police on a wild chase for miles through the city.
The zebras, according to witness accounts, somehow got loose from the UniverSoul Circus outside the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, near 52nd Street and Parkside Avenue in Fairmount Park and ran out of the front gate.
Police Radio confirmed about 2 p.m. that zebras were loose in West Philadelphia and officers were trying to catch them.
“All I saw were two cops chasing the zebra, “said Rashad Smith, a witness. “We thought it was a horse.”
Police sources said about 2:20 p.m. that one zebra had been caught and the second remained on the lam. The fleeing zebra, according to sources, made it up to City Avenue — more than two miles from where the animals escaped.
By about 2:40 p.m., the second fleeing zebra had been successfully caught, although the location where police finally stopped the zebra was not immediately clear.
There were no reports of any injuries to the animals or to any people, and it was unclear how the zebras escaped.
The UniverSoul Circus told NBC10 the animals were fine and they released a statement shortly after they were captured:
Two zebras briefly went on the loose from the UniverSoul Circus site today in Philadelphia, both have been safely corralled with no injuries. An investigation is currently underway.
