A Ohio man was hospitalized on Sunday after being attacked by his pet zebra.
Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call around 5:30 p.m. after a man reported his arm being nearly dismembered by his zebra in a fenced-in field near Circleville, about 25 miles south of Columbus.
According to WCMH-TV, deputies arrived at the scene and saw the victim, identified as 72-year-old Ronald Clifton, lying on the ground with his right arm severely wounded below the elbow, but not completely severed as previously believed. Using their cruiser’s siren and horn, one deputy scared off the zebra, which continued behaving hostilely, while other deputies helped Clifton to an ambulance.
However, the zebra, a male, continued trying to charge the victim and others at the scene until a deputy shot and killed it. The family said the deputies should put the animal down if necessary. According to an incident report, it’s believed the male was being protective of several female zebras who were in the same field.
According to WJLA, Clifton was taken to a hospital in Columbus and his condition is listed as stable. His family said he would not lose his arm and, according to the Columbus Dispatch, it was successfully reattached on Monday.
No other injuries to humans or animals were reported.
The state of Ohio passed a law about owning exotic animals in the wake of a 2011 incident where a man released dozens of exotic animals he owned before dying by suicide. However, zebras are not covered under that law.