SEATTLE — Why do zebras have stripes?
Because they don’t want to be spotted — and that’s certainly the case with the still-missing Z the zebra.
Z has certainly earned her stripes, eluding animal control officers and North Bend residents alike who are searching for the fourth zebra that escaped a trailer Sunday on Interstate 90.
Owner Kristine Keltgen recently bought Z and three other zebras and was transporting them from Lewis County to Montana, where she runs a petting zoo. The four zebras escaped Keltgen’s trailer, and with the help of others, Keltgen was able to corral three of them.
Z, though, had other plans. As of Friday morning, she is still running wild, taking Western Washington and social media by storm.
While we wait for her return, we’ve rounded up a selection of online tributes to Z with images faked via photo-editing software and artificial intelligence.
Z, of course, while out there in the woods of North Bend has befriended the resident sasquatch. Nothing is more appropriate.
Some Western Washingtonians are certain Z is an avid traveler, traversing Puget Sound on a ferry (any guesses on whether she had to pay the vehicle fare?).
Others insist on her hobby of walking, walking, walking, seemingly spotting her at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and at the top of Tacoma’s Narrows Bridge — all in a day’s work!
In her free time, which she doesn’t have much of as eluding capture is nearly a full-time job, she has also found time to run the bases at T-Mobile Park, give a helping hoof to the fish throwers at Pike Place and stop by Seattle’s Bayview Playground to take a spin on the merry-go-round.
But in all seriousness, if you actually see the zebra, call 911 immediately. Do not try to approach Z or capture her on your own.
Anyone with photos or video clips of the zebra is asked to send them to RASKCMedia@kingcounty.gov to inform animal control officers about the zebra’s whereabouts.
