photo by NBC4 Washington

After four months roaming the suburbs of Prince George’s County and eluding recapture, the two remaining loose zebras that escaped from an exotic animal park were finally captured on December 13.

The two escapees were part of a trio that got loose from Jerry Holly’s property in Upper Marlboro on August 11. One of the zebras died a month after the escape when it was trapped in an illegal snare on a neighboring property that is owned by the Girl Scouts. The Girl Scouts issued a statement saying the illegal snare trap was placed by an “unauthorized trespasser.”

During the whole ordeal, PG County announced in mid-October that a second dead zebra was found on Holly’s property. The Animal Service Division in PG County filed three counts of criminal animal cruelty charges against Holly on October 19. Holly, who also has an exotic animal farm in Florida, was found guilty in 2016 of possession of captive wild animals without a permit. In addition, he was fined in 2013 for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

According to Richard Bell, a spokesman for the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Holly does have the appropriate license for the zebras in Maryland.