Bloke almost loses arm in mauling by his ‘very large and aggressive’ pet zebra

Police had to shoot a zebra dead on Sunday evening (March 12) after it mauled its owner and nearly ripped his arm off.

Ronald Clifton, 72, called 911 during the attack in Circleville, Ohio, just after 5.30pm.

The shocked phone operator had to double check if Clifton was saying he was attacked by a zebra.

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According to Fox News, he said: “I think he tore my arm off…send a chopper.”

Deputies from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office rushed to the scene and found Clifton laying on the ground.

One tried to position a police car between the herd of zebras and Clifton, only for one large and "very hostile" male to charge at the driver side door.

Police eventually got the irate animal to back off using sirens and horns.

When they finally reached Clifton they found his arm nearly torn off, with bloody spurting out below the elbow.

A tourniquet was applied below the shoulder and two deputies managed to get Clifton into an ambulance.

A third deputy, armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, kept facing the zebra fearing it would attack again. Workers at the property told the officer to put it down if necessary, with Clifton's family warning police not to turn their backs.

The police report stated that the zebra was the only male in the field and was seemingly becoming protective of the females.

Body camera footage then shows the zebra approaching the deputy aggressively.

After shouting at it three times to back off, and the zebra not listening, the deputy was forced fire the shotgun at its head.

Clifton was later taken to Grant Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

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