The bison on I-20 Friday, the zebra whose run to freedom stalled on the Downtown Connector – they were not the first to travel by four-leg drive.
Animals have a long history of trying the Atlanta highway system and, like more regular users, finding it lacking. Like us, they often took to the asphalt only in desperation, or as a result of some confounding mistake. From the more recent events to the historical, here is a brief timeline, drawn from accounts in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Feb. 2010
A bison falls out of a truck onto I-20.
That’s one week after a zebra escaped from the circus (really) and made it onto the Downtown Connector, where he was caught during rush hour. That is natural, since he was less mobile there than in the enclosed pen where he started out his journey.
April 2008
An angry pig loose on I-75 tested the swine-whispering skills of Marietta police, who had to calm him down after he fell from a truck near the Canton Road Bridge.
Same month, different truck: Two llamas on I-285 near Northside Drive fell from their trailer when the latch came undone. They escaped injury because traffic was so slow.
Same month, no truck: I-75 drivers alerted police to an injured young zebra munching roadside grass near exit 201, just south of Spalding County. Police thought he probably fell from a vehicle and got hit. He recuperated at the Noah's Ark rescue center, where he still resides. Officers kept calling him "evidence," so the rescuers named him Evidence.
Dec. 2002
Four bovines (cows?) broke free of a stalled tractor-trailer on I-20 near Covington when the floorboard cracked in two. Thankfully for storytellers, a rodeo was in progress nearby, and horseback riders there took off to find them. The cattle had made it through a guardrail onto a grassy embankment, and by press time that night they were still at large, the search called off. Not so fun for the remaining 55 animals stuffed into the same trailer, which a police lieutenant called “junky as hell.”
March 1996
Two rabbits, later rescued and named Bear and Oscar, were let loose at an I-285 on-ramp, and took to hopping in and out of traffic.
Unknown
We vaguely recall an incident relating to chickens and Atlanta highways. Let us know if you have the scoop on that or other animal traffic. No roadkill please.
A final note: All of which is to say, it's never bad to be careful on the roads, and slower speeds help avoid injury accidents for all species. After all, the animals would probably rather be in a field than in front of your car.
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