Five zebras escaped from a farm near Upper Marlboro and have been on the loose in Prince George’s County for the last week.

Several residents have called 911 and county animal control services to report sightings of the equines, which are traveling in a pack of three and a pair, and the owner has tried to lure them back with grain to no avail.

Unlike their horse cousins, zebras are notoriously prickly and can’t be coaxed back to the farm quite as easily. The only way to capture the animals is to corral them into an enclosed space and force them onto a trailer.

Animal control officers recommend that people who spot the zebras keep their distance, as they can kick or bite when spooked.

“Never approach them, and don’t try to pet them,” Rodney Taylor, chief of the Prince George’s animal services division, told the Washington Post. “They’re not going to chase you down. But they are zebras, so they’re not handled by people a lot, so to defend themselves they could bite.”

If you spot the zebras, you can contact Prince George’s County Animal Services at (301) 780-7242.

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