SEOUL (The Korea Herald/ANN): 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.
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 tranquiliser dart in an alley in Guui-dong, Gwangjin-gu, about 1km from the zoo.
The park later brought in a female Grant’s zebra named Coco from Uchi Park Zoo in Gwangju in June 2023 to ease his loneliness, but she died suddenly four months later.
Another companion, Hyangmi, a pony from Cheongju Zoo, was introduced in November 2024, but the pair parted ways in March 2025 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. -- The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
