African antelope escapes Ohio safari

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HURON TOWNSHIP, Ohio, April 29 (UPI) -- Ohio authorities used a tranquilizer gun to subdue an African eland antelope that escaped a safari resort, police said.

The 1,000-pound animal broke free from Kalahari Resorts' Safari Adventures Animal Park in Huron Township Friday, causing a scare for some local residents, The Lorain Morning Journal reported Saturday.

A resident near the resort called police after noticing the animal -- which is more than 5-1/2 feet tall at the shoulder -- standing behind his home.

Sgt. Dan Kautz said the Erie County Sheriff's Office routinely deals with livestock, "but not animals you'd find on an African plain."

An animal handler shot the antelope with a tranquilizer dart, causing it to flee toward U.S. 250 before passing out, the newspaper reported.

"It couldn't pass out in the woods," Deputy Johann Matute said with a laugh. "It had to make a spectacle there at 250 for all to see."

The animal is under observation at Safari Adventures, the animal park said in a statement.