South Korea: Zebra escapes Seoul zoo and roams around city stunning onlookers

Sero the Zebra was eventually cornered by officials down a narrow alleyway between houses

A young zebra managed to escape a zoo and stun locals as it roamed the busy streets of South Korea's capital for hours, before emergency workers recaptured the animal.

The zebra, a male named Sero, managed to slip his minders at the Seoul Children's Grand Park Zoo, where he was born two years ago.

Locals captured pictures of the animal trotting alongside cars stuck in traffic, as pedestrians looked on in disbelief.

One witness posted on Twitter: "This isn't AI - there's a zebra loose on the streets of Seoul."

Authorities managed to tranquilise the zebra and return him to the zoo on Thursday evening, where he was in a stable condition and being examined by veterinarians, said Choi Ye-ra, an official at the zoo.

She said officials were investigating how the zebra managed to escape and did not immediately confirm media reports that the animal partially destroyed the wooden fencing surrounding its pen, before running off into the city at around 2.50pm Thursday.

Police and emergency workers managed to corner the zebra three hours after it had escaped, when it entered a narrow alleyway between houses.

Officials were able to safely shoot the zebra with tranquilisers before handing control of it back to the zoo.

No immediate reports of injuries or property damage followed the zebra's escape.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...