Zebra bites man’s arm off in Pickaway County before being put down

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CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) — A man was taken to the hospital Sunday afternoon after a zebra attacked him in Pickaway County.

According to an incident report from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were sent to the 6900 block of Darby Road in Circleville at around 5:30 p.m. to a fenced-in field after hearing reports a man had his arm dismembered by a zebra he owned.

As deputies arrived, they saw the victim laying on the ground with his right arm covered with his sleeve. An spokesperson for the sheriff’s office confirmed to NBC4 the man is still at Grant Medical Center and will not lose his arm.

While deputies were treating the man, the zebra continued acting aggressive and charged one deputy cruiser that was positioned to block the animal from the man. The man was accompanied by family members while he was being put in an ambulance as the zebra continued acting hostile.

Deputies began blowing air horns and yelling at the zebra to scare it away but it continued to charge toward authorities and the victim’s family members. They told the deputies not to turn their backs on the zebra, since that was when it would attack, and gave them permission to put down the zebra if necessary. A deputy then fatally shot the zebra in the head due to its continued aggressive behavior.

One account from a PCSO deputy in the incident report says the “zebra was aggressive due to being protective of about five or six female zebras that were in the field.”

According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, zebras are not considered “Dangerous Wild Animals.”

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