Do you know what a dazzle is? It鈥檚 a group of zebras. Right now, a dazzle of three zebras is on the run in Prince George鈥檚 County, Maryland.
They escaped from an Upper Marlboro zebra breeding farm at Bellefield and Duley Station Roads.
And catching the zebra trio won鈥檛 be like catching domestic animals, according to area Veterinarian Linda Molesworth, who owns a zebra.
鈥淪ome people think they are like horses, but they are not,鈥� Molesworth said. 鈥淵ou cannot walk up and grab them. They will run through something; so if you have them in a fence they will try to run through the fence or climb over it.鈥�
They are wild animals, and she said they interact and react as wild animals.
鈥淚t鈥檇 be basically like trying to catch a deer that鈥檚 loose in someone鈥檚 field,鈥� Molesworth said.
The demeanor, she said, can sometimes be more like trying to catch a wild bull, which is also a reason residents should not approach them.
鈥淭hey could be very dangerous,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very fast. They will wheel and kick and they will run you over if you鈥檙e in the way.鈥�
The farm they escaped from has set up a feeding station in a field where they know the zebras are frequenting. Each day they are adding another piece of a tall corral around the feeding area and hope to be able to soon close them into that corral, then get them back home.
In the meantime, anyone who sees the zebras should call Prince George鈥檚 County Animal Control at 301-780-7242.
