Rodeo bullfighter helps wrangle 3 escaped zebras in Washington state as 1 remains on the loose

Brunch patrons spot zebras outside restaurant

Four zebras escaped a trailer and were running amok on the roads of Washington state this weekend – and it took the state patrol and a former rodeo bullfighter to wrangle them back to safety. 

Rick Johnson, a public information officer for the Washington State Patrol, posted on social media on Sunday that the zoo-like fiasco was "a first" for him and all of the state patrol troopers involved. 

"4 Zebras that were being transported got loose when the driver stopped to secure the trailer," Johnson wrote on social media. "...Crazy!!" 

This is a first for me and all @wastatepatrol troopers involved. 4 Zebras that were being transported got loose when the driver stopped to secure the trailer EB 90 to exit 32. The community has come together to help. One cornered, 3 outstanding. Crazy!! pic.twitter.com/8lF75tnbyZ

— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) April 28, 2024

Kristine Keltgen, who owns the zebras, told CBS affiliate KIRO-TV that she had picked up the zebras from a private home in Winlock to take them to the petting zoo she and her son run in Montana. She had pulled over to fix a dragging floor mat in the trailer mid-transport, and the moment she went to make the adjustment, the animals ran away. 

Luckily there was someone nearby with loads of experience wrangling excited animals – David Danton, a former rodeo bullfighter. He told The New York Times that he worked for nearly 15 years as both a bullfighter and a rodeo clown, and that he and his wife Julie Danton were driving home from a cattle drive when they stopped to help Keltgen.

"Not every day you get that phone call," Danton told KIRO. "...We're cowboys and we help other people ... and found ourselves on a zebra roundup." 

He told The Times that "nobody trains you for wrangling zebras," but he made it happen anyways. He used rope, metal panels and a garden hose to build makeshift gates, and was able to corral two of the four animals into an enclosed space on a nearby horse farm. From there, they ushered the zebras into a large trailer. 

By the end of the day, three of the four zebras had been captured. One remains missing in the North Bend area. Police and the local animal service encourage people to be on the lookout and call 911 or the Regional Animal Services of King County at (206) 296-7387 if it's spotted. 

Danton said that people should not approach the zebra. 

"As soon as you do it's going to run off and get lost again," he told KIRO. "So if it's in your backyard, let it eat, let it rest, and let somebody know right away."

In:
• Washington
• Zebra
• Animal Rescue

Li Cohen

Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.