06/11/2025
🕰️ If Paul Harvey were alive today, I think I know how he’d end this story.
He’d pause. Let the silence settle. Then he’d say:
“Ed the Zebra didn’t escape because he was wild. He ran because he was looking for his best friend.”
Over the past few days, headlines have zeroed in on Ed the Zebra, who bolted from a farm in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and captured national attention.
But here’s the rest of the story—one I wish were only a parable.
My best friend was at the auction the night Ed was sold.
The auctioneer told the crowd Ed had been raised alongside a donkey. They were a bonded pair.
They had to be purchased together. That was the only requirement!
But when the couple who bought Ed—Taylor and Laura Ford—turned around and re-auctioned the donkey…
🚫 The auction house did nothing to stop it.
💔 My best friend bought the donkey herself because her heart couldn’t leave him behind.
So when I heard a “wild zebra” was on the loose from its new home, I picked up the phone. I called police, news stations, reporters—anyone who’d listen.
But no one did.
Even when I explained the donkey might be the key to bringing Ed home, the answers were cold:
🗣️ “He’s been hit.”
🗣️ “He ran into the woods.”
🗣️ “We’re not looking anymore.”
🗣️ “It’s rehabilitation now—not rescue.”
Yesterday, Ed was finally captured.
I reached out to Nick Beres, the reporter covering the story for NewsChannel 5.
He refused to speak with me—wouldn’t even consider that there might be more to the story.
I tried the Fords.
So did my best friend.
Still nothing.
But here’s the truth:
Ed wasn’t running away.
He was searching for the only family he’s ever known.
💭 It makes you think.
How often does this play out in business—or in life?
How often is the answer right in front of us, but no one slows down long enough to see it?
People make decisions based on:
⚙️ Convenience
🧠 Ego
😐 Apathy
And in doing so… they miss the point entirely.
Empathy doesn’t scale easily.
But it does matter.
So does doing the right thing—even when no one’s watching, even when it won’t make headlines.
HERE’S MY ASK:
📢 Help us share the rest of the story. Help Ed and his brother donkey reunite.
🧭 Remind the world that compassion isn’t a luxury—it’s a responsibility.
And the next time you’re faced with a choice—whether in business or in life—pause just long enough to ask yourself:
Am I creating disconnection… or am I helping someone come home?
