Lighter side: judge injured in freak zebra attack

A US county judge in Arkansas has been hospitalised after being attacked by a pet zebra.

A US county judge in Arkansas has been hospitalised after being attacked by a pet zebra.

District Judge Mark Derrick suffered injuries to his eye and his arm after he was attacked by a zebra reportedly belonging to his father in Searcy.

The Searcy police sergeant said that police were called to White County District Judge Mark Derrick's home Sunday after the judge was attacked by the animal.

KATV reported that city attorney Buck Gibson said that while owning a wild animal within the city limits of Searcy is illegal, it may be a grandfather clause stating wild animals were already on the property before the annex making the Derrick family’s ownership of a zebra in Searcy legal.

Police have not laid any charges.

While it’s unclear why the family owned the zebra, according to several neighbours, the family would occasionally host petting zoos from time to time and have had exotic animals for years.