A zebra is on the loose at Tokyo's Tama Zoo, and some 60 staff are primed and ready to try and catch him.

They corner him in one part of the zoo....

...and move in with nets to bring him down, tranquilise him and return him safely to his pen.

This an annual drill carried out by the zoo to prepare staff for a worst-case scenario - wild animals on the loose around the zoo following a major earthquake.

But rather than practise their emergency drills with real animals, the zoo dresses up one of its newest employees to play the role of the escapee.

Previous "animals" have included a Siberian tiger and an Orangutan. Zoo director Naoki Tabata admits a man in a zebra suit is a lot slower than the real thing, but says the main aim of the event is to increase staff awareness.