Ed the zebra made headlines and captivated the internet after escaping from his new home in Christiana, Tennessee.

Within hours of arriving, Ed slipped away and began a weeklong adventure that took him through wooded areas, down highways, and into viral fame.

His owner reported him missing on May 31. By the next day, drivers along nearby Interstate 24 were stunned to see a zebra galloping across lanes of traffic, prompting deputies to temporarily close the road for public safety, The New York Times reports.

The zebra vanished into nearby woods before reemerging days later, spotted near subdivisions and filmed trotting through neighborhoods. As Ed continued to elude capture, residents shared videos and photos online. Some sightings were genuine, others were meme-fueled fabrications.

As The Guardian reports, a photoshopped image of Ed at Waffle House circulated widely, joined by AI-generated scenes of him panhandling or visiting college campuses.

A pet zebra named Ed escaped just one day after arriving in Christiana, Tennessee.

The Search Widens and Social Media Lights Up

Ed’s disappearance quickly grew from a local oddity to a national curiosity. The sheriff’s office, assisted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, intensified their efforts as sightings continued to pour in.

According to PEOPLE, a police drone located Ed dashing through a field near Christiana, about 40 miles south of Nashville. Deputy Ryan Keach was among the first to spot Ed near Joe B. Jackson Parkway.

“He was running through traffic on both sides of the highway,” said RCSO Patrol Lt. Kenneth Barrett.

until Ed again disappeared into wooded cover.

The search ended a little over a week after Ed escaped. Tango 82 aviation crews found Ed in a pasture near Buchanan Estates and deployed a net to safely restrain him. A dramatic video from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office shows Ed airlifted by helicopter, legs dangling, on his way to an awaiting animal trailer.

Authorities temporarily shut down the highway to protect drivers and the animal.

Owner Relief After a Tense Week

Laura Ford, Ed’s owner, told CBS News that a professional team from Texas helped secure the capture.

“This has been a long, stressful week and I am so happy that it ended the way it did and no one got hurt,” she said.

Ford confirmed Ed is “safe and 100% healthy.”

Exactly how Ed escaped remains unclear. The zebra had only been with his new owner for a day before making his break. While it might seem unusual to keep a zebra as a pet,

Tennessee law permits ownership of zebras without special permits because they are considered Class III animals. However, as PEOPLE reports, experts note their unpredictable behavior can make them difficult to domesticate.

Another Wild Week in the South

Ed’s adventure wasn’t the region’s only unusual animal escape this year. In April, a kangaroo named Sheila briefly shut down an Alabama interstate, part of a trend in bizarre, headline-grabbing animal escapades, CBS News reports.

“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 Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, told The New York Times.

Though now safely back in human care, Ed has left behind more than hoofprints. His week on the run inspired memes, traffic reports, police operations—and plenty of questions about whether zebras belong in Tennessee pastures at all.