We Disneyfied the escaped zebras. The truth about exotic animals is a lot sadder.

Real life for animals, it turns out, isn’t like a pixelated Disney film. For nearly two months, the D.C. area has been captivated by the tale of three zebras that escaped in late August from a farm in Prince George’s County, Md., a suburban area of sprawling subdivisions that could hardly be more removed from the African plains that are the species’ natural habitat. Their improbable saga — initially, it was reported there were five equine fugitives — offered what seemed to be a refreshing and much-needed diversion from the grim political news that so often dominates daily discourse here in the nation’s capital and its environs.