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Officials in Prince George's County, Maryland plan to lure recently escaped zebras back to an Upper Marlboro farm by using even more zebras.
WUSA9.com reports three zebras escaped from the farm in early September, including one who died after being caught in an illegal snare trap on September 16.
Maryland's Department of Natural Resources announced a new plan working alongside the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the owner and the caretaker of the exotic animals already in the works to capture the two zebras still at-large in a press release obtained by WUSA9.com last week.
Authorities said the owner and caretaker have taken two zebras from the herd and placed them in an enclosure in the center of the corral in hopes that by utilizing food and the two additional zebras, the recently escaped animals will return to corral the herd at the farm.
"Our priority is to make sure the zebras are captured and returned to the herd," said Department of Energy Director Andrea L. Crooms via WUSA9.com. "Once this is accomplished, the County will conduct a further investigation, and any actions including any appropriate charges against the owner will be evaluated."
Veterinarians and local officials agreed that this is the best approach to successfully capturing and returning the missing zebras to their home farm.