On May 31, 2025, a zebra named Ed made headlines when he escaped from a private property in Christiana, Tennessee and sprinted across busy highways, narrowly avoiding tragedy. For days, Ed wandered through neighborhoods, visibly frightened and disoriented, until law enforcement finally airlifted him to safety.

While Ed's story had a safe ending, the real danger lies in what it exposed: Tennessee allows exotic animals like zebras to be kept as pets without permits.

That means wild animals, who are meant to roam vast distances and live in complex social herds, can be confined in backyards with little oversight.

These beautiful creatures deserve more. Keeping wild animals in captivity not only causes them immense stress, but also puts communities at risk when things go wrong, as they did with Ed.

We cannot wait for a tragedy to take action.

Sign to demand Tennessee lawmakers close the regulatory loophole and pass legislation that protects wild animals from inappropriate captivity.

Zebras don’t belong on highways, they belong in the wild.

Let Ed's story be a wake-up call. For his safety, and ours.

Photo: Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press