A Horse Of A Different Color: Zebra Escapes In Mule Capital

COLUMBIA, TN -- Columbia is no stranger to equines on the hoof.

The town 50 miles south of Nashville is the Mule Capital of the World, having hosted Mule Day - a four-day celebration of all things horse-donkey hybrid that's the biggest equine party south of Louisville - since 1840.

But police in the city of 36,000 were faced with a different four-hoofed problem early Tuesday morning.

The midnight shift at the Columbia Police Department picked up a call from the Love's Truck Stop just off Interstate 65 that a zebra was running loose.

The department said the zebra - whose name is Marty, of course - got out of his trailer to take a little stroll on the grounds while his owner was refueling.

With the help of the Maury County Sheriff's Department and the county emergency management agency, Marty was wrangled and returned to his trailer and he and his owner got back on the road to head to their Florida ranch.

Photo via Columbia Police Department