(LEAD) Zebra captured some 3 hours after escaping from Seoul zoo

All News 19:34 March 23, 2023

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout; ADDS photo)

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- A zebra that escaped from a zoo in Seoul on Thursday was captured in the streets of the South Korean capital after having roamed at large in the streets for about three hours, according to zoo officials and fire authorities.

The zebra reportedly broke free from Seoul Children's Grand Park's zoo in eastern Seoul around 2:50 p.m. and roamed around the nearby residential area.

A zebra walks in an eastern Seoul residential district after escaping from a nearby zoo on March 23, 2023, in this photo provided by a citizen. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Born in 2021 in the same zoo, the zebra, named Sero, broke the wooden deck installed around its pen, they added.

Officials later managed to surround the zebra with a safety fence and administered anesthetic muscle relaxants. The zebra was returned to the zoo at around 6:10 p.m.

There were no reported casualties or property damage caused by the incident, according to officials.