Painted friends comfort Sero, zebra famous for escaping from South Korea zoo

Fine arts students from Sejong University painted murals of zebras in April 2025. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SEOUL – Sero, a seven-year-old male Grant’s zebra that became famous in 2023 after escaping a zoo and roaming city streets, seems to be recovering psychologically from the loss of his companions thanks to some new friends, albeit only painted ones.

Fine arts students from Sejong University painted zebras on the wall of Sero’s enclosure at Children’s Grand Park in April 2025 to help ease his loneliness.

“Since the murals were painted, Sero has been seen sitting or rolling in the sand more often than before, which is a good sign. Herbivores lie down or sit only when they feel safe from predators,” an official said.

The murals, arranged by Seoul Facilities Corporation, include a pair of zebras drinking from a pond and a family running across the grassland.

Sero’s loneliness had been cited as a major reason behind his 2023 escape, after he lost several female companions in a row.

Born at the park in 2019, Sero lost his mother Lulu in 2021 and his father Garo in 2022. The stress is thought to have led the zebra to break through a wooden deck around his enclosure and run into the streets in March in 2023.