Ed didn’t ask permission. One night in late May 2025, the zebra who lived as a pet with a couple in Rutherford County, Tennessee, simply left. He had been at his owners’ home for just one day, Taylor and Laura Ford, and had already decided that freedom was for him.
On Saturday, May 31, Ed was spotted trotting along Interstate 24 and deputies had to close several lanes so a zebra could cross a highway. Then he headed into the woods and disappeared for days.
The search brought together the sheriff’s office, the Highway Patrol, and the state’s wildlife agency, with drones and a helicopter joining in. A neighbor in Christiana saw him cross a field with the helicopter hot on his heels. On Sunday, June 8, eight days later, they tracked him with a drone and caught him. They pulled him out wrapped in a net, with only his head sticking out, dangling from the helicopter like a celebrity in the middle of an escape.
After the rescue, Ed returned to his owners. But his escape also reopened the debate about exotic animals as pets: in Tennessee, it’s legal to own a zebra without a special permit, even though it’s still a wild animal and not a household pet. What do you think—did Ed deserve to remain free?