In a scene out of a live-action Madagascar (well, if there was one), a costumed zebra tried to “escape” the Tama Zoological Park in Tokyo but was subdued by the staff. Of course, it was all part of a drill conducted by the zoo to prepare the employees in case of an actual animal escape attempt.
The premise for the drill was that there was an earthquake and one of the stone walls of the zebra’s enclosure was destroyed. The scenario also involves one of the keepers being severely injured while attempting to catch the animal. The zoo has also in the past done drills with escaped lions, gorillas and tigers. Park director Naoki Tabata says the drills are done to raise the staff’s awareness on what to do in scenarios like this, even though the actual animals will definitely run and move faster than their human counterparts. The staff, armed with nets, sticks and radios had to tackle and mock stun-gun the runaway zebra before finally saving it and putting it back in its cage.
And which of the staff had to wear a zebra costume while being tackled by his colleagues? 31 year old Yosuke Tanaka won the leading role in this drill since he was one of the newest employees of the zoo. “If I had to say something to whoever does it next, I’d have to warn them that the inside does indeed become a bit stinky with sweat and so they should think about how to deal with that,” he advised the next costumed animal for the next escape drill.
