A zebra, an emu and a horse? Oh my! A look at the local wild animal stories from 2023
A zebra, a horse and an emu walk into a bar.
While it could be the start of a joke, the three animals were involved in some of the wildest (pun intended) stories from central Ohio in 2023.
We've corralled them here for you to read.
Zebra killed after biting Pickaway County man's arm
Around 5:40 p.m. on March 12, Pickaway County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to a farm on Darby Road near Circleville.
A 72-year-old man told dispatchers and deputies he was bleeding profusely after one of his zebras bit him on the arm. Both deputies and the dispatcher who took the man's 911 call had to ask him to repeat himself when he said what had happened.
Zebras, of course, aren't native to Ohio.
The zebra moved into a different area of the field from where paramedics gave the man treatment but then came back toward deputies on multiple occasions. A deputy eventually shot and killed the zebra after it approached deputies again.
The man's family told deputies to shoot the zebra if they had to, according to body camera footage.
The man was taken to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center for treatment. Doctors were able to save his arm. Other zebras on the man's farm were not harmed during the incident.
Brief foot pursuit leads to 'arrest' of Big Bird
In July, Columbus police officers got into a foot pursuit on the city's Far West Side, but the fleeing subject they were chasing didn't have normal feet.
Big Bird, an emu, had three-toed feet with talons.
The exotic bird native to Australia escaped from its nearby home and was found in a bean field near the intersection of Norton and Alkire roads.
After some discussion about what was better used to catch an emu, a lasso or a leash, and with some help from Big Bird's owners, the bird was coaxed back to its owners.
"Big Bird is in custody," one officer said after the bird, which had to be strapped to a gurney for transport back to its home, was secured.
No injuries were reported to humans or birds in the incident.
Gucci goes exploring, but finds her way home
For about 30 minutes in August, a 3-year-old horse named Gucci experienced freedom and adventure.
After walking out of a pasture at the farm on Havens Corners Road in Jefferson Township, the horse wandered in eastern Franklin County. A gate to Gucci's corral had inadvertently been left unlatched.
Gahanna police and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office eventually found Gucci, who stayed overnight at the sheriff's office until the owner could come get her.
Gucci returned home the next afternoon uninjured.
Columbus Zoo thought gorilla was male ... until it gave birth
In mid-July, keepers at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium saw "Sully," a gorilla believed to be male, holding an infant gorilla. It was, to put it mildly, a surprise.
Zookeepers had previously mistaken Sully for a male because it's difficult to tell the sex of younger gorillas. Male and female gorillas are about the same size and female gorillas show few outward signs of pregnancy, according to the zoo.
Sully, who is 8 years old, gave birth to a healthy female gorilla that is now named Kwame.
There have been 34 gorillas born at the Columbus Zoo since 1956.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Zebra, emu encounters highlight local wild animal stories from 2023
