After murals created, Sero's stress from losing companions seems to be easing, but real zebra mate won't arrive till 2029
Sero, a 7-year-old male Grant’s zebra that became famous three years ago 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 Corp., 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 thoght to have led the zebra to break through a wooden deck around his enclosure and run into the streets in March the following year.
Less than 10 minutes after escaping, Sero was hit by a car but continued wandering through streets and residential areas before being captured by firefighters with a tranquilizer dart in an alley in Guui-dong, Gwangjin-gu, about 1 kilometer from the zoo.
The park later brought in a female Grant’s zebra named Coco from Uchi Park Zoo in Gwangju in June of the same year to ease his loneliness, but she died suddenly four months later.
Another companion, Hyangmi, a pony from Cheongju Zoo in November 2024, but the pair parted ways in March last year as Hyangmi needed to mate with her own species.
The painted friends on the wall are meant to help Sero stay emotionally stable before he meets a new companion, the park said.
“We carried out the project after finding studies showing that murals in animal enclosures can help promote emotional stability,” the official added.
Sero is expected to form a new family with a female zebra from Cheongju Zoo in North Chungcheong Province once the park’s redevelopment project, including the demolition of aging facilities and improvements to enclosures, is completed in 2029.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
