Zebras Escape Circus, Roam Streets Of Philadelphia For About An Hour

Zebras on Streets Of Philadelphia — A couple of zebras broke out of detention and took to the streets of Philadelphia Sunday, but local police soon apprehended the culprits, given away by their distinctive appearance. Above, Grevy's zebras stand in their enclosure at the Paris Zoological Park in Paris Aug. 10, 2015. Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images

(Reuters) -- Two zebras broke free from a circus in Philadelphia Sunday, bringing traffic to a crawl as they roamed city streets for about an hour and strolled past customers inside a fitness center, authorities said. Video on local media showed police vehicles following in slow pursuit as the animals jockeyed their way through traffic before being captured.

"Zebras in custody. They are already sporting old-timey prisoner getup ahead of trial and sentencing," Philadelphia police said on their Twitter feed.

The zebras went on the loose from the UniverSoul Circus site in the city, the company said in a statement. "Both have been safely corralled with no injuries," it said.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Editing by Alan Crosby)

Twitter