Authorities use AI to make memes about a lost zebra in Tennessee

A pet zebra has been on the loose in Rutherford County, Tennessee, for several days, and local governments and law enforcement agencies are using artificial intelligence to generate meme-like images of the zebra in different locations to help raise awareness about the lost, striped equine.

The zebra, named Ed, escaped on May 31 and caused a traffic jam on a main interstate in the greater Nashville area over the weekend, briefly forcing the road to close after it ran through traffic. According to local news sources, the zebra has still managed to evade capture.

As the search for the hooved absconder continues, local governments such as the City of Murfreesboro, Montgomery County and Wilson County, along with law enforcement agencies such as the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, have taken to social media to share AI-generated images of a zebra in different locations around middle Tennessee.

Brooke Reese, spokesperson from MNPD, told StateScoop its social media post about the zebra on Tuesday — which featured images of a zebra on the city’s pedestrian bridge and a quip about the animal attending the city’s upcoming annual music festival, CMA Fest, this weekend — was to both raise awareness about the unique situation, and add some levity.

Reese noted that the post’s images contain watermarks, which say “AI,” to ensure people are aware the images are not genuine.

A Facebook post from Lebanon Police Department welcomes its newest “high-speed recruit: Officer Z. E. Bra.”

“No badge. No jurisdiction. No regard for fences,” the post reads. “While not yet fully certified (pending hoofprint verification), Officer Bra has already demonstrated advanced evasive maneuvers and the ability to go viral. Right now, Officer Bra is currently… patrolling freely. If you spot him, do NOT approach. He’s undercover.”

The Clarksville Police Department also shared a meme on social media Wednesday featuring the elusive zebra. However, Scott Beaubien, the department’s public information officer, said the image was made in Canva, instead, and was not AI-generated. Beaubien said the department joined in to share something “light-hearted” on its social media feed.

StateScoop reached out to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office to ask if the images and post trend are helping in the search for the missing zebra, but did not hear back before publication.

Zebras are categorized as a Class III animal in Tennessee, making them — along with llamas, camels and giraffes — legal to own without a permit, except those required by the Department of Agriculture.