The Identity of the 'Calm Man with Hands Behind Back' Who Encountered an Escaping Zebra

Last month, a zebra escaped from Children's Grand Park in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, and roamed the city. At the time, a citizen who was seen quickly turning away with his hands behind his back after seeing the zebra became a hot topic. It was later revealed that the man was an employee of Children's Grand Park.

Kang Min-jun, the head of the facilities team at Children's Grand Park, recently appeared on SBS's "Curious Story Y" and recalled, "Although I looked very calm in the video, in reality, I was struggling a lot while running into the alley."

He added, "In the case of wild animals, I know that you should not excite them further when they are already agitated," and said, "I tried to turn my back and pretend not to see it, so that behavior naturally came out."

A pedestrian encountering the zebra 'Sero' in an alleyway. This pedestrian was identified as an employee of Children's Grand Park. [Image source=Online community]

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Earlier, on the 23rd of last month, the zebra named 'Sero' that escaped from Children's Grand Park wandered around roads and residential areas. Citizens who witnessed Sero shared photos and videos on social networking services (SNS) to share the situation.

Among them, a video showing a man calmly turning away and avoiding Sero in an alley despite encountering the zebra became a hot topic. At the time, the man was walking down the alley, and upon seeing Sero, he put his hands behind his back and quickly returned the way he came.

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Netizens who saw the video responded with comments such as "He stayed calm even after seeing the zebra," "If it were me, I would have immediately panicked and screamed," and "It looks like a scene from a movie."

In fact, when encountering wild animals on the street, it is recommended to behave naturally. If you meet an animal that has escaped from a zoo or breeding facility on the road or in a residential area, as in this case, the best course of action is to quietly avoid it without screaming. Also, when encountering wild boars, you should not run or shout. Doing so increases the risk of the boar being startled and attacking.

On the 30th of last month, the zebra 'Sero' was strolling in the enclosure at the Children's Grand Park Zoo in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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Meanwhile, Sero, who was roaming the city, was captured alive after being hit with seven tranquilizer darts 3 hours and 30 minutes after escaping and was returned to Children's Grand Park. Now two years old, Sero has been living alone after losing both parents. Considering the zebra's habit of living in groups, Children's Grand Park announced plans to bring a mate for Sero by next year at the latest.

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