A pet zebra on the lam in Tennessee for a week was recaptured Sunday and was seen dangling in the air below a helicopter whose rescue team more than earned their stripes.

Ed the Zebra, whose disappearance sparked a collection of internet memes, was found in a pasture near a subdivision in the Christiana community just over 40 miles outside of Nashville, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said.

In order to safely capture Ed, the sheriff’s office had to bring in an aviation crew to fly him away.

3 Ed the Zebra was captured safely after being located in a pasture near a subdivision in the Christiana community in central Tennessee. AP

3 The zebra was spotted and filmed running along Interstate 24, forcing deputies to shut the roadway. Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office

“Ed was airlifted and flown by helicopter back to a waiting animal trailer,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

A video shared by the sheriff’s office shows Ed safely bundled in a net with his head sticking out as he is carried by the helicopter to the trailer.

Ed kept the authorities in central Tennessee on their toes for a whole week. After he was first reported missing on May 31, deputies spotted him running alongside Interstate 24. Somehow, Ed evaded them all and escaped into a wooded area even after authorities shut down the roadway.

Several other Ed sightings around Christiana were posted on social media, including the zebra ambling through neighborhoods.

Ed’s impromptu vacation sparked a series of memes online, including some placing him in bizarre locations he may have escaped to, including Southern staples like a Waffle House.

3 Ed was filmed trotting through a neighborhood. Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office

Other memes placed Ed visiting other Tennessee cities or panhandling on the side of the road. In spite of his adoring fans’ desires, Ed never made it beyond Christiana and is on track to return home.

In late April, one runaway kangaroo took off down a highway in Alabama and inadvertently caused a two-car crash. Unperturbed, the kangaroo kept hopping on and was eventually tranquilized and safely transported back home.

In February, a baby seal was found hopping through New Haven, Conn. It was transported to Mystic Aquarium to recuperate, but unfortunately passed away a few days later.

The search for a runaway pet zebra that had evaded capture for nearly a week in Rutherford County, Tennessee, came to an end.

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, which had been searching for the animal that residents named Ed, said in a statement Sunday that the zebra had been recaptured and returned to its owner.

In a video the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook, the zebra’s head and legs can be seen dangling from inside a net as it spun in the sky while being airlifted by a yellow helicopter. Authorities said that the intrepid zebra was found in a pasture near Interstate 24.

The owner of the zebra — whose identity has not been released — got the animal May 30 and had it for less than a day before it escaped the next morning, the sheriff’s office said in an earlier statement.

How the zebra escaped or why the man owned it was still not immediately clear, but dispatchers received a report May 31 that a zebra had been spotted darting in traffic on Interstate 24.

“This is the first zebra to escape in Rutherford County as far as I know in the 43 years I lived here,” Lisa Marchesoni, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said Sunday.

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The zebra had escaped into a wooded area and disappeared until being spotted Thursday, authorities said.

On Friday, a police drone spotted the zebra dashing through a field near Christiana, a community about 40 miles south of Nashville.

Drivers on Interstate 24 also saw him scamper across east and westbound lanes Saturday, the sheriff’s office said.

On Sunday morning, deputies worked with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to find the zebra, though it was not immediately clear how authorities captured it.

With several sightings of the zebra in the area, social media lit up with memes and images generated by artificial intelligence of the animal, including one that dressed him in a Middle Tennessee State University hat and T-shirt.

A runaway pet zebra that was on the loose for more than a week in Tennessee and became an internet sensation in the process was captured on Sunday, authorities said.

Ed the zebra was captured safely after being located in a pasture near a subdivision in the Christiana community in central Tennessee, the Rutherford county sheriff’s office confirmed. The sheriff’s office said aviation crews captured the zebra.

“Ed was airlifted and flown by helicopter back to a waiting animal trailer,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Video posted by the sheriff’s office shows Ed wrapped in a net with his head sticking out as he is carried by the helicopter to the trailer.

Ed arrived in Christiana on 30 May, the sheriff’s office said. His owner reported him missing the next day.

The zebra was spotted and filmed running along Interstate 24, forcing deputies to shut the roadway. But Ed escaped into a wooded area.

There were several sightings posted to social media. Ed was filmed trotting through a neighborhood.

The zebra quickly became the subject of internet memes. One fake posting showed Ed dining at a Waffle House, a southern staple. Others had him visiting other Tennessee cities or panhandling on the side of the road.

The pursuit of Ed came after a runway kangaroo shut down a section of an Alabama interstate in April.

National News A runaway pet zebra has been captured in Tennessee Video posted by the sheriff’s office shows Ed wrapped in a net with his head sticking out as he is carried by the helicopter to the trailer. In this image taken from June 8, 2025, video by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office in Rutherford County, Tennessee, shows the airlifting of a zebra named Ed that had evaded capture for several days after it ran away from its owner. Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office via AP

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A runaway pet zebra that was on the loose for more than a week in Tennessee and became an internet sensation in the process was captured Sunday, authorities said.

ED THE ZEBRA, who’s evaded capture on quite the week-long adventure… has been reunited with his new family in Rutherford County. Video from the Rutherford Co. Sheriff’s Office, which teamed up with a bunch of partners, private search teams & astute, caring neighbors to find Ed! pic.twitter.com/rwJpTKySVl — Kelly Avellino (@KellyAvellino) June 8, 2025

Ed the Zebra was captured safely after being located in a pasture near a subdivision in the Christiana community in central Tennessee, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. The sheriff’s office said aviation crews captured the zebra.

“Ed was airlifted and flown by helicopter back to a waiting animal trailer,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Video posted by the sheriff’s office shows Ed wrapped in a net with his head sticking out as he is carried by the helicopter to the trailer.

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Ed arrived in Christiana on May 30, the sheriff’s office said. His owner reported him missing the next day.

The zebra was spotted and filmed running along Interstate 24, forcing deputies to shut the roadway. But Ed escaped into a wooded area.

There were several sightings posted to social media. Ed was filmed trotting through a neighborhood.

The zebra quickly became the subject of internet memes. One fake posting showed Ed dining at a Waffle House, a southern staple. Others had him visiting other Tennessee cities or panhandling on the side of the road.

The pursuit of Ed came a month after a runway kangaroo shut down a section of Alabama interstate.

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Murfreesboro, Tennessee: A runaway pet zebra that was on the loose for more than a week in Tennessee and became an internet sensation in the process was captured on Sunday (Monday AEST), authorities said.

Ed the Zebra was captured safely after being located in a pasture near a subdivision in the Christiana community in central Tennessee, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. The sheriff’s office said aviation crews captured the zebra.

“Ed was airlifted and flown by helicopter back to a waiting animal trailer,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Video posted by the sheriff’s office shows Ed wrapped in a net with his head sticking out as he is carried by the helicopter to the trailer.