Authorities believe the zebras—along with one other—went missing when they were first brought to the farm in August, local news station WJLA-TV reported.
Last week, the two missing zebras made their way home to the farm owned by Jerry Lee Holly, Prince George County spokesperson Linda Lowe told WUSA-TV.
“They’re safe. They are not on the loose,” Lowe said.
Authorities spent months searching for and trying to rescue the animals. In October, the Prince George County Department of the Environment announced plans to place food and two additional zebras from their herd into a corral to try to attract the two zebras back home.
Many residents of the area spotted the zebras in their own backyards.
“I thought it was a deer for a second and then I saw it was a zebra—a whole zebra right next to our playground right next to the fence. So, I ran upstairs to get a better look up there and then I said, ‘Mom, there’s, like, a Zebra outside our playground’ and she didn’t believe me and said I was crazy,” resident Layla Curling said.
But as the internet ran wild with memes about the zebras, authorities have accused the farm of neglecting the animals.
Although two of the zebras made it home safely, the third found itself in an illegal snare trap just outside of the property, where it died, according to court documents reported by WJLA. Authorities believe the zebra remained there for days and died of dehydration before it was found September 23.
Authorities filed federal three charges of animal cruelty against Holly after the death of the at-large zebra and one other that died in the enclosure, according to the court documents.
“The zebras at large have not received adequate food, water or veterinary care. One of the zebras died because it was at-large,” the court documents said. “One of the three zebras running at large was caught in a snare within two feet of the fence line—directly beside the fenced enclosure where the other 36 zebras were being held.”
Authorities said someone at the farm should have seen or heard the zebra while it was dying “if the caretaker had attended to the zebras in the fenced enclosure.”
A report by the United States Department of Agriculture also found several issues with the enclosure where the other zebras remained, according to WJLA.
The report pointed out that the barn they were in allegedly needed a heat source, wood on the back walls was rotting, and gaps in the wall could let cold air into the barn. It also found “hazardous” items including tractors and piles of wood allegedly being stored in the barn, according to the news station.
Authorities also alleged that only one person “with no experience or adequate knowledge of the species” cared for the zebras.
