Middle Tennessee's missing zebra: Owner talks escape, why the animal may get a new home

Yahoo

a day ago

It was dream that turned into a nightmare and ended with a big sigh of relief for Taylor Ford after his pet zebra escaped from his 115-acre Christiana farm, went missing for eight days and was finally captured on June 8.
The zebra, which his wife, Laura, had named Zeke, was supposed to be a pet for the Fords for years to come, Taylor Ford said.
Instead, he told The Tennessean June 9 that his wife had gotten a bad feeling about the new addition just before it arrived.
"She didn't think that him coming home was the best idea. And it turns out, she was more right than ever," Taylor Ford said. Though he does some farming, Taylor Ford, 36, owns a landscape lighting business. His fascination with the African equine and its black stripes began about two years ago when he said he saw two live zebras at the end of the driveway at a Nashville property.
That's when he knew he had to have one, he said.
But the zebra escaped less than 15 hours after it reached the Ford family's Rutherford County estate.
The couple bought Zeke on May 30. He came from Texas.
While Taylor Ford declined to say how much he paid for the animal, he said they can cost about the same as horses. In some cases, anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000. And they can live for up to 25 years.
The zebra was meant to be the ultimate showpiece for the Ford family, taking its place among the family's alpacas, bison, cattle and other farm animals.
But, after its time spent on the loose in Middle Tennessee, the zebra's name has changed and his future is uncertain, Taylor Ford said. The father of three admitted June 9 that he doesn't have social media accounts, but his family kept him updated on Zeke's celebrity status.
In honor of the social media buzz he generated, Zeke's name has been changed to Ed, and Ed's future may not lie with the Ford family.
The escape and subsequent chase has made Taylor Ford question if the family can safely keep Ed on the farm. They're not even sure how he was able to escape, Taylor Ford said, noting that for now, the zebra is being housed in a more secure location.
His dream is for a zoo to adopt Ed so people can visit him.
That wasn't Taylor Ford's initial goal when he bought his dream animal.
"It's really just the wow factor," Taylor Ford said, explaining why he bought the zebra. "When my kids have friends come over and we go back ... and we've got zebras or something else cool they're not used to seeing, it's just a really cool animal.
"(But) I don't want to worry about about this escape ever happening again, and it being something that I'm part of and having to disrupt the community. I'm hoping he becomes a symbol of something that brings people together for this community."
During Ed's 8-day Middle Tennessee sojourn, Fredricksburg, Texas-based Tango 82 Aviation led the search and recovery effort, a spokesperson for the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said.
A call seeking comment for this story was not immediately returned by Tango 82 Aviation.
Rutherford County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Lisa Marchesoni told The Tennessean the zebra was finally spotted in a pasture near the Buchanan Road exit off I-24. Search and rescue teams honed in, with a veterinarian on hand to assist.
"They (Tango 82 Aviation) used a net capture method that they use to capture these animals in Texas and basically dropped a net right over top of it," Taylor Ford told The Tennessean June 9.
Marchesoni said no additional costs were absorbed by the sheriff's office as the local agency. The Tennessee Highway Patrol and Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency joined the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office on the scene of Zeke's rescue for traffic safety.
As Taylor Ford watched video of the zebra dangling from the net attached to a helicopter, he said he felt relieved. Every call he got for eight days put Taylor Ford on edge wondering if the zebra was alive or if someone had gotten hurt trying to approach it.
"It was the biggest sense of relief for not only the animal, but our family and also the community. I've got children, and I know everybody seemed to have fun with this and everybody loved it. But at the same time, one of my concerns the whole time was safety."
While Zeke was running loose, he ascended to celebrity status in the region with people creating cakes, songs and memes in his honor.
The zebra caught the attention of local baker Lauren Jones, who created a 12-inch zebra cake to honor "Ed."
Taylor Ford said "Ed" came from former National Football League referee Ed Hochuli, who was known for his muscular body. And of course, a black and white-striped referee uniform.
More: Escaped Rutherford zebra being tracked via drone; officials warn public to 'stay clear'
And Zeke was fast.
Pictures and video flooded the internet as the zebra was seen running along Interstate 24 and flashing across area doorbell cameras.
Zeke became the inspiration for a song called "Ed the Zebra" by Michael Marcovich using Suno, an AI generated software.
Facebook user Diamond Shine professed her devotion to the zebra as he ran through Middle Tennessee.
"Somehow, this rogue zebra galloping through Murfreesboro has brought me more joy in the last 24 hours than I ever expected," she said in a June 1 post. "The chaos. The memes. The chase. Ed."
In addition to AI-generated photos of a zebra with a Middle Tennessee State University fan at a bar, zebras became the primary spokespeople for local businesses, recommending a spray tan at Serenity Skin and authorizing 15% off sale of all items at Love's Pizza in Murfreesboro.
Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at [e-mail] and on X @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Meet the owner behind escaped Tennessee zebra turned social media star