More details from the recent and shocking zebra attack in Ohio continue to emerge. Now audio and the name of the 72-year-old man who was attacked by the black and white striped equine have been made public thanks to the Washington Post. When Ronald Cliffton dialed 911, he let them know that he was alone. He couldn’t move. And he was gushing blood. Not a great combination. “Come before it gets me again!’ Clifton can be heard pleading.
The disbelief about the situation can be heard in the dispatcher’s voice. “You got attacked by a what?” After confirming it was indeed a zebra attack, sheriff’s deputies and medical crews were immediately dispatched to the scene. When they arrived they found Clifton laying faceup on a pile of sticks and completely covered in blood. His right arm hemorrhaging blood from just below the elbow where he was bitten.
An emergency crew quickly arrived on the scene. They put a tourniquet on Clifton’s arm and whisked him into an ambulance. Just a few minutes late, the zebra aggressively ran towards one of the officers who promptly blasted it in the head with his shotgun. Additional body camera footage from the officers on the scene has also emerged. “I had to make a decision,” Sargeant Stacey Eitel can be heard saying in body-camera footage. “I put a slug right between its eyes.”
The zebra made several bluff charges during the whole ordeal and continued to act hostile. After several warning shouts and attempts to scare it off with airhorns and shouts, Eitel finally exterminated the threat. “I ain’t going to let no one else get hurt. It wasn’t going to stop. It kept coming,” he said.
Farm Raised Zebra Viciously Attacked Ohio Man Last Weekend
When a shark, bear, or other predatory animal attacks someone, it often makes news headlines but really doesn’t surprise people. However, a zebra mauling someone so bad that the animal has to be euthanized? Now that’s a surprising story worth some attention from media and news outlets. The man who was attacked by the zebra was injured so substantially that he reportedly almost lost his arm due to the injuries he sustained.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that the incident occurred at about 5:30 p.m. near the town of Circleville, Ohio. When Pickaway County Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene, they found the 72-year-old man laying on the ground in a fenced-in field. As deputies tended to the man, the animal continued to act erratically. At one point the zebra even charged after a parked police cruiser that was meant to act as a barrier. It’s believed the male zebra was acting protective of the six additional female zebras in the field.
Police Officer Kills Animal After It Almost Bites Man’s Arm Off
The aggressive zebra continued to behave aggressively, so deputies on the scene started blowing air horns and yelling at the zebra to try and scare it away. Eventually, because of the threat posed by the zebra, one of the Sherriff’s deputies put it down with a firearm.
The bite wounds were so bad that the man’s arm was essentially severed from his torso. Initial reports indicated that the man lost his arm. However, he was rushed to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center where his arm was reattached. His injuries are not considered to be life-threatening. Reports also indicate that the man legally owned the zebra and checked all required boxes.
Footage recorded by police officers on the scene was recently shared by WKYC Channel 3. The footage is not graphic in nature but does show the man being escorted away as deputies have a standoff with the zebra with their guns drawn.
