Escaped Zebra Is Now in Relocation Program

Randy Leonard for The New York Times Razzi the zebra has left the city.

And what of Razzi the runaway zebra?

When we left him on Wednesday evening, Razzi, a 4-month-old foal who lives on Staten Island, had returned from his unauthorized tour of the neighborhood in the company of his friend and mentor Casper the pony and was resting quietly on the property of his owner, Giovanni Schirripa.

But the animals' brief escape attracted the attention of the authorities.

On Thursday, said Chanel Caraway, a spokeswoman for the city health department, “a health inspector visited the property, but did not find a zebra.”

That's because Razzi has moved to New Jersey, Mr. Schirripa said.

“The zebra's not here no more,” he said by phone, adding that he took him Wednesday night to a barn near Phillipsburg where he keeps some of his horses.

Mr. Schirripa said he thought inspectors might have been concerned about the conditions the zebra was living in. Possibly, he became mindful that the health department said Wednesday night that he did not have the required permit to keep a zebra on his property (no such permit is required to keep a pony for personal use, the health department said).

Mr. Schirripa said the inspectors told him there was nothing they could do if the zebra wasn't there.

Casper could not be reached for comment about the departure of his friend.