Runaway zebra dies in Japan after golf course police chase

File photo taken on February 2, 2016 showing a drill where zookeepers (background) holding a net to capture a zookeeper dressed as zebra. A runaway zebra led police on a dramatic chase across a golf course in Japan, until its bid for freedom ended in death March 23, 2016 when it collapsed in a water trap. - AFP

Tokyo (AFP) - A runaway zebra led police on a dramatic chase across a golf course in Japan, until its bid for freedom ended in death when it collapsed in a water trap.

The creature's odyssey, which was broadcast live on national television, saw officers in hot pursuit as they tried -- in vain -- to recapture it alive.