THIS is the moment a runaway zebra was airlifted by helicopter in a giant net after a week-long rampage.
Ed the Zebra was finally captured Sunday after being spotted in a pasture in Christiana, Tennessee.
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Footage shows the black-and-white striped escape artist — head poking through the netting — being gently airlifted above treetops as he’s flown back to safety.
The bizarre chopper rescue came after Ed, a newly acquired pet zebra, broke free from his owner’s hom just one day after arriving on May 30.
In a statement, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said: “Ed was airlifted and flown by helicopter back to a waiting animal trailer.”
Ed became a local legend and viral sensation as he dashed across busy highways, ducked into wooded areas, and even starred in a slew of internet memes.
One had him dining at Waffle House, another showed him panhandling on the side of the road.
Authorities said Ed was spotted trotting along Interstate 24, where deputies were forced to shut down traffic to prevent accidents.
Despite the chaos, the striped fugitive slipped away once more, vanishing into the trees.
Multiple sightings followed, with social media sleuths and neighborhood residents reporting zebra sightings like they were tracking Bigfoot.
At one point, Ed was filmed casually trotting through a suburban street like he owned the place.
Rutherford County Sheriff’s deputies finally caught a break when drone surveillance located Ed grazing in a field on Friday.
But with crowds gathering and cameras rolling, officials pleaded for space to complete the rescue.
“The zebra’s owner reported the presence of people and cameras scaring the zebra and potentially harming the efforts to secure the zebra,” read a post from the Sheriff’s Office.
“Please avoid the area to allow the safe recovery of the zebra.”
With the help of a veterinarian, aviation crews were able to secure Ed in a net and hoist him into the air for his long-awaited return.
“We don’t want to scare the zebra,” said Sheriff’s Cpl. White. “We need time to get him to calm down.”
Exactly why the aerial option was chosen remains unclear—but after eight days of zebra-induced mayhem, officials likely weren’t taking any chances.
Just before Ed’s airborne return, a kangaroo named Sheila brought traffic to a standstill in Alabama after pulling a similar stunt.
Sheila was spotted hopping along Interstate 85 in Macon County, sending drivers into a frenzy.
Authorities had to shut down both sides of the highway to avoid collisions.
“When somebody said there was a kangaroo of course I didn’t believe it, and nobody believed it. But I’m looking at him,” said Macon County Sheriff Andre Brunson in a now-viral Facebook Live video.
State troopers and Sheila’s owner eventually wrangled the marsupial without injury.
But the sight of a kangaroo on a Southern freeway had already left its mark—and its memes.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed the incident, saying the kangaroo was safely captured after creating a brief but chaotic stretch of traffic mayhem.
