Missing zebra finally recovered near North Bend

The missing zebra, a Western Washington sensation, was found Friday night near North Bend after nearly a week on the loose.

The mare, whose name Sugar, or Shug for short, was publicly revealed Friday, escaped from her owner’s trailer April 28 in North Bend along with three other zebras. The three were quickly corralled while Shug continued to roam, attract all kinds of attention, and likely walked hundreds of miles while never getting very far.

Shug, misidentified as a stallion for much of the week, was spotted and recovered just before 8 p.m. in the Riverbend community south of North Bend.

“We’d like to thank everyone who assisted us in this successful effort by calling in sightings and sharing information on the zebra’s location,” said Tim Anderson, operations manager for Regional Animal Services of King County. “Our community in King County really came together to help Shug, and we wouldn’t have been able to do our work without their support.”

The details weren’t all in hand late Friday, said Cameron Satterfield, spokesperson for Regional Animal Services of King County. But somehow, a group of ordinary folks along with animal control officers got the zebra into a pen. Then, a trailer.

A news release on Saturday said it took about three hours to get Shug into the trailer. After a quick examination, animal services officials deemed Shug to be in good health

“She looks pretty healthy,” Satterfield said.

Zebras eat mostly grass and leaves, so Shug probably did fine in that regard, and maybe found water at Rattlesnake Lake, Satterfield said.

“We’ve all had to become zebra experts” over the last days, Satterfield said.

Despite her stint as Western Washington’s zebra influencer, it became time for Shug to finish the trip to Montana, where the four zebras were headed before they escaped Sunday.

The owner was moving the animals from Winlock in Lewis County to Anaconda, Mont., when she stopped near Exit 32 on Interstate 90, to fix a problem with the trailer, according to Regional Animal Services. When she went to secure the trailer, all four zebras bolted. Three were recaptured in a few hours.

The fourth, affectionately dubbed “Z” by amused, worried and fascinated residents, made her way around the foothills of the Cascades. People caught glimpses, posted memes, and made dozens of calls to animal services, and more to 911, to report sightings.

Regional Animal Services is still investigating the escape and capture of the zebras. That could take weeks. Additionally, the news release said the owner could face fines, depending on the results of the investigation.

But now, with the search for Z concluded, we say goodbye to Shug.