A skittish zebra has led police a merry dance through busy traffic in downtown Atlanta, after escaping from a travelling circus.
Lima, a 12-year-old male, broke free from his handler at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, after apparently getting spooked while preparing for an evening performance of the self-proclaimed 'greatest show on earth'.
He then pinned his ears back and galloped away into the swelling rush-hour traffic, heading downtown and zipping between lanes in an ill-advised series of 'zebra crossing' incidents, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Eyewitness Daniel Nance told the paper that the irregular spectacle had tickled him - but left him wondering about the ramifications.
"All of a sudden, a freaking zebra comes running down the street like a car," he said.
"Five or six police cars were in hot pursuit.
"But then I got scared, thinking … what else is loose?"
Soon after, someone managed to grab hold of the skittish creature, though it apparently dragged its would-be captor along before they were forced to give up their grip. Later there was even a bicycle-mounted peloton of police officers giving chase to the fleeing equid.
However, after police cruisers blocked off alternate escape routes, Lima was finally pulled over on the busy interstate highway that runs through the centre of the city. He was herded to the side of the road and off an entrance ramp, where his handler was waiting to calm him down.
A spokesperson for the circus confirmed that the animal had suffered cuts to his hooves, but was likely to carry on with the scheduled show.
