Two zebras that escaped from a Maryland farm four months ago returned to the property and reunited with their herd, officials said Tuesday.
The zebras, who had been roaming “at large” since August, returned to the 300-acre private farm in Upper Marlboro last week, the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment said in a news release.
The release added that the farm’s owner alerted federal officials about their return. Authorities were not involved in their direct capture.
The farm’s owner, breeder and exotic animal trader Jerry Lee Holly, 76, is licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to have 39 zebras at his property.
The animals were brought to his farm roughly 20 miles east of Washington, D.C. shortly before three of them escaped on Aug. 31. Authorities initially believed five were missing.
Holly was charged in October with three counts of animal cruelty after the third zebra died after being caught in an illegal snare trap.
A charging document obtained by NBC Washington cited “failure to provide” for the three escaped zebras and added that the third animal likely died from dehydration.
Neither Holly nor his lawyer responded to requests for comment Tuesday.
Tuesday’s release said county officials will continue investigating the incident and taking “taking appropriate legal action” against Holly.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
