Zebra runs amok on Japan golf course, dies
A zebra that was on the loose on a Japanese golf course has died after it was chased around by a dozen men including police officers and shot with a tranquilliser dart before it plunged into a lake.
Police say the two-year-old male zebra escaped late on Tuesday from a horseback riding club. It had belonged to a farm in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.
By Wednesday morning, it had wandered on to a nearby golf course in Gifu Prefecture, with TV news footage showing it zipping from hole to hole.
• Boaty McBoatface: internet decides UK ship’s name
• Bernie Sanders feels the love in Australia
• The new TV show that nabbed two big film stars
People were chasing the animal around the golf course, some holding lassos, trying to capture it, but with little luck. The animal would let them get close, then dash off when they tried to rein it in.
It was shot with a tranquilliser dart, but then ran into a lake.
It was rescued within minutes, but its heart had stopped, and attempts to resuscitate it failed, said Takahiro Taniguchi of Tajimi police in Gifu.
Although the cause of death was unclear, as it may have died from the tranquilliser medication, it likely drowned, Taniguchi said.
A veterinarian on scene said the zebra appeared to have drowned, he said.
“We pulled it out, but its heart had stopped,” he said.